Undeb Ffotograffig Cymru
Pyle & Porthcawl PS have informed us of the death of Trevor Owen.
He was Vice Chairman of the club, the current holder of their Photographer of the Year trophy and known to many in the camera club scene. Trevor was 71, a keen (and very good) wildlife photographer.
He became ill on the 28th December at a family wedding, was rushed into hospital for an emergency operation but sadly passed away on New Year’s Eve.
It is with regret we have to inform you that Gower Photographic Society has sadly decided to close down after well over 30 years.
The club is currently selling off its club assets, including the club’s custom made exhibition print display stands. The club hopes that they will find a good home with other WPF Clubs or members. (Full details are in the For Sale section of the news WPF Newsflash letter).
‘Mike Cullis ARPS has been named a finalist in the wildlife section of the Wanderlust Travel Photography Competition. Ten finalist prints selected from an entry in thousands will be on display at the 3 day Adventure Travel Show at Olympia and on 5 February  the results will be announced in the theatre at 4pm. The first prize is a commission for photography in Western Australia including a partner.  The competition is sponsored by Nikon, Independent and London Evening Standard newspapers and the Australian Travel Board ; so good luck Mike! Here’s the successful image:
The Metropolitan Police have issued guidelines regarding photography in these troubled times. Whilst the information is perhaps more relevant to members of the media, it is well worth reading if you are an amateur photographer. Full information here.
For the third time in four years Gwynfa Camera Club has won the Stanley Chell Cup.
It was a very tense affair with the result in doubt until the very end. Both Gwynfa & Tenby scored a maximum of 40 in the first two rounds. Both clubs were still level (on 58 points) after three rounds. The final round provided a tense finish with Gwynfa scoring 19 and holding their collective breath until the Tenby score of 18 was announced. The final top three places were:
1st place – Gwynfa – 77 points (20 – 20 – 18 – 19)
2nd place – Tenby – 76 points (20 – 20 – 18 – 18)
3rd place – Inn Focus – 72 points (18 – 17 – 17 – 20)
The complete final score-sheet and final placings can be seen if you click the links.
The other awards were:
Hans Hover Trophy (Best Monochrome Print) – The Orphanage by Dave Bolton (Tenby).
Glyn John Trophy (Best Colour Print) – Halfpenny Penalty by Gareth Jenkins (Inn Focus).
Glan and Mair Trophy (Best Landscape) – Grasses & Dunes by Leigh Woolford (Gwynfa).
Doris Chell Memorial Trophy (Best Image) – Brown Eyed Girl by Margot Rowlands (Gwynfa).
Thanks to the judge Peter McCloskey FRPS APAGB who did a fantastic job and also to Aberdare Camera Club for putting on an excellent and very successful event and lovely buffet, as they always do.
The PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit were recently hosted by the WPF in Neath. 116 applications from all over the UK were received and 65 were successful. Ten of those successes were for WPF photographers. Details below:-
Of 29 applications at DISTINCTION (DPAGB) PRINT level 11 were successful.
The sole WPF success was: Leigh Woolford AWPF EFIAP, Gwynfa CC
Of 15 applications at DISTINCTION (DPAGB) PDI level, 5 were successful.
The sole WPF success was: Matthew Jones, Ebbw Vale CC
Of 63 applications at CREDIT (CPAGB) PRINT level, 42 were successful.
The WPF successes were:
Moira Evans LRPS, Swansea CC
Gwynfryn Jones AFIAP, Gwynfa CC
Norman Lemon, Neath & District PS
Anthony Llewellyn, Morriston CC
David Norton AWPF, Rhondda CC
Peter Stickler ARPS AWPF, Swansea CC
Of 9 applications at CREDIT (CPAGB) PDI level, 7 were successful.
The WPF successes were:
Jason Chapman, Swansea CC
Gary Jenkins, Tenby & District CC
Congratulations to everyone who was successul and commiserations to those who were not.
For those interested in pursuing the same awards, full explanations can be found here.
A couple of things have been brought to my attention and I thought it would be a good idea to clarify. Firstly I have altered the Star Rating System slightly. I have altered four stars from VERY GOOD  to GOOD, as it was felt by one club that this made more sense between COMPETENT and EXCELLENT. Also it is clear from a response I had recently that the rules are not being read on the WPF website. Would all those involved in feedback and on club committees PLEASE take a few minutes to read ALL the documentation on ‘Guidelines to Judges’ and ‘The Role of the Club’. Also the paragraphs at the top of the Judges List which explains the star rating system. There is NO rating for speakers as they are nearly always top class. Any complaints can be emailed to me directly by clubs or presenters.
STAR RATING:
* Poor
** Below average
*** Competent
**** Good
***** Excellent
The other matter is the suggested AWARDS system rather that giving MARKS. I am pleased to have heard that some clubs are trying out the system, but may not have understood the marking. I stated that the marking for the end of year total could still be achieved by awarding marks in the following way:
GOLD (20), SILVER (19), BRONZE (18), HIGHLY COMMENDED (17), COMMENDED (16) and the rest 15. The CLUB may decide the number of awards that may be given in each category, so if they want to allow more than one GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE award etc., they only have to make it clear to the judge. It is highly likely that there would be more than one silver or bronze in any case if the standard was high on the night.
The clubs that already use this system are a pleasure to judge, and members go away remembering the critique rather than a low mark. There is also less reason for complaints to appear about judges on the Social Media!
If there are any queries you can always contact me on judgepresent@thewpf.co.uk
Ed Cloutman (WPF Judges and Presenters Secretary).
We have received this sad news from the Vale.
It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the death yesterday of our most senior member, Tony Leadbitter. Tony has been a keen and active supporter of the club for longer than I have recollection. His devotion to photography has been clear for all to see. He gave great encouragement to all members no matter what their ability and areas of interest. I was one of many who benefited from that when I first joined. His devotion endured despite failing faculties in recent years.
Mike Baker has asked me to pass on these words:- “In the thirty odd years that I have lived in the area, Tony has been a constant photographic friend through much of that time and I am grateful for his introduction to the group of like minded individuals in the Vale Photographic Club, through which I have made many new friends.
He also worked as photographer for the Gem during his retirement, happy to use his skills for the good of the community.
Tony shared our passion for photography as long as was humanly possible as members will be well aware. In his time, he was also a judge and I remember his comments on my early work within the Club giving pointers for improving my work which I appreciated and valued as a bit of a camera ‘Rookie’ at the time.
He will be missed by all who knew him. Tony, R.I.P. ”
Gerald Harbour (Chairman, The Vale Photographic Club).
His funeral will be held at Bridgend Crematorium on Friday Dec 4th at 1.45pm. Friends are invited to attend.
Gower PS had its largest attendance in many years when it hosted the 29th Ken Adams Memorial Trophy on 4 November. Congratulations go to Abertawe who successfully retained the Trophy with 212 points, closely followed by Gower on 207 and Morriston on 202.
Many thanks to Ian Ledgard for judging so well and to everyone else from the three clubs who helped make it such a memorable evening.
The photo shows Ian Ledgard (on the left of photo) presenting the trophy to Mike Evans (Abertawe).
We in the WPF thought that 2014 had been a good year for our Distinction day, but it was surpassed by this year’s tremendous turnout and fabulous result.
Some excellent work was presented at Talbot Green Community Centre, which resulted in a higher pass rate than previous years. There were 24 entries, 22 in prints and 2 in PDIs. 19 AWPF awards were made all of these were print panels, resulting in a 79% success rate. Many congratulations to the successful candidates, who were:
Those who did not make it on this occasion missed by a very narrow margin and were strongly urged to try again next year.
Several successful candidates commented that the help and advice that they had received at the AWPF Workshop had made all the difference and recommended that anyone considering submitting a panel should attend a workshop first.
I should like to thank everyone who helped to make the day such a success, in particular, Vince Penticost & Eric Williams (Presentation) Guy Butler-Madden & Cliff Emery (Display), Mike Lewis (Catering), Ed Cloutman (Projection)and, of course, our judges, Nick Jenkins (Chairman), Margaret Collis, Jenny Hibbert, David Lingham and Brian Coleman.
I would add that the critique that was given by Nick as the Chairman representing the judges was very constructive, and a great help to anyone who was thinking of applying in the future.
Information on future WPF events relating to distinctions will be released in the New Year.
Many congratulations to all participants.
John Cooke ARPS AWPF DPAGB EFIAP/b (Distinctions Secretary).