EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
FORMED JANUARY 1953
1st February 1953
Page 69 - Vol. 60 No. 2 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
The above club was formed on 7th January, 1953, and on adoption of the constitution and print regulations, Mr. Cyril Jackson gave a short address on the benefits of camera club membership and commented on a portfolio of prints kindly loaned by Kodak Ltd.
About thirty persons were present at the inaugural meeting, and it was a good indication of the need for a club in the Eastern Suburbs, when twenty-one annual subscriptions were paid immediately. Amongst the foundation members were two local chemists, a Swiss New Australian, and a small number of ladies.
The officers elected for the first year were the prime mover, Mr. K.L. Aston, President; Mr. J. Fraser, Vice-President; Mr. B. Burris, Secretary-Treasurer; and Mr. T. McGee, Print Director.
The annual subscription was set at a small figure of 10/—, with members paying a running expenses levy of 1/- per meeting. This club is giving special attention to persons who have never done their own processing, and all interested photographers are invited to join.
Meetings are held fortnightly in No. 1 Lodge Room, Paddington Town Hall, at 8pm. Dates for the 11th and 25th March.
The President may be contacted during business hours — Tel. 80263, Ext. 440, or at his home, 54 Renny Street, Paddington.
1st March 1953
Page 133 - Vol. 60 No. 3 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
About twenty-two persons were present at our meeting on 14th January and four new members were welcomed into the club, bringing our numerical strength to twenty-seven. The meeting commenced with members displaying their cameras and explaining the salient features of each model. In this manner it was possible to compare the various makes at close quarters and to question the owners on performances, following this, members displayed some of their favorite prints and were graded for the Monthly competitions. The greater proportion of the members at this stage are beginners, whilst few are more advanced. It would help the club to have new members whose work is of an advanced nature and who are capable of assisting the club with lectures. However, we have pledged ourselves to give beginners every encouragement as they are the photographers of tomorrow and need more attention than those who have established themselves. With this in mind we have arranged a course of instruction which will be conducted by the Kodak Lecture Service Division, whose ready assistance is greatly appreciated.
The evening closed with a short lecture by the President, K.L. Aston, on his experiences with Forced Development. By 'shooting' at 400/500 Weston and developing in D-23, he showed how it was possible to stop down and gain very great depth of focus, and also that it was possible to take a very acceptable photograph in poor light with reasonably short exposures.
Twenty-five members were present at our meeting on January 28th and two new members were welcomed. It was the occasion of our first Monthly Competition which was Open. Mr. Townsend, of the Kodak Lecture Service, did a sterling job in judging quite a good number of entries and his constructive criticism was well received.
The point-score commenced with the following placings;
A GRADE: 1, Mrs. Patricia Aston; 2, K. Aston; 3, K. Aston; HC, G. Noble.
B GRADE: l, J. Prendergast; 2, S. Turner; 3, T. Delaney; HC, K. Murphy.
Intending members may contact the President, K. Aston. Tel. 80263, Ext. 440.
1st April 1953 Page 251 - Vol. 60 No. 4 Australasian Photo-Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
Our meeting of 11th February opened the Kodak Beginners Lectures, the first of which was a lantern slide explanation of the history of photography, development of the camera, and its applications. This proved to be a most enlightening evening and members were surprised to learn that their chosen hobby could be traced back as far as Aristotle’s observations on the camera obscura. The lecture, very ably presented by Mr. B. Townsend, brought to members a fuller realization of the debt we owe to the early pioneers of photography in making the game so much easier for us. A very interesting and comprehensive program covering the next three months was then announced, and it is obvious that we are in for an absorbing group of meetings. Membership at this meeting rose to thirty-two.
We met again on 25th February and heard the second Kodak Lecture on Action of the Developer and Fixing Bath, accompanied by a short but amazing film on the same subject. Mr. B. Townsend then judged our second Open Competition, the prints being displayed on portable print racks, the design of which we are thinking of patenting. The structure is quickly assembled and very light in weight, being mainly composed of aluminum recessed cover strip. Six new members brought the membership to thirty-eight.
Competition award winners were:
A GRADE: l, G. Thompson; 2, K. Aston; 3, G. Noble; HC, G. Thompson.
B GRADE: 1, E. Jones; 2, W. Tomsett; 3, K. Whitby; HC, A. Delaney.
A very happy afternoon was spent in nearby Centennial Park on Sunday 1st March, when a group of twenty-five members and their families met for the club’s first field outing. Centennial Park abounds in photographic material and members were reluctant to leave till the sun was almost out of sight; even at this stage some 'eager beavers' were setting up for silhouettes. The club is rapidly outgrowing its present meeting quarters, and still looking for new members, particularly some more ladies to join the existing group of four.
A GROUP OF EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS ON A FIELD TRIP AT CENTENNIAL PARK.
ONE OF THE BOYS HAD SOME TROUBLE REACHING THE HOOD OF HIS REFLEX.
Photograph by Garry Thompson
1st May 1953
Page 265 - Vol. 60 No. 5 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
Thirty-one enthusiasts attended our meeting of 11th March. Two new members were welcomed, as were two visitors from the Waverley Camera Group. A practical demonstration was given by a Kodak representative on tank and tray development of films and contact printing and member Des. Burfitt who had never done his own processing gave a very fine performance in making his first contact print before the audience. The lecture then turned to Composition demonstrated by the use of slides. At this meeting it was decided that the membership of this club be restricted to a maximum of 60 persons. We are already two thirds of the way to reaching this figure. We particularly require more ladies and more advanced workers. Negotiations have commenced for the production of a club badge.
A very successful Field Day was held at Emu Plains on 22nd March and shooting conditions were ideal. Twenty-four people left Sydney, but only seventeen were in the party when we camped for lunch and the others were not seen until next meeting night. Shooting began in earnest after lunch when we found a farm with haystacks, ploughs, cart wheels, stables and cobwebs.
Competition night, with the subject Portrait of a Member was held on 25th March and the results were:
A GRADE: 1, G. Thompson; 2, G. Thompson; 3, Mrs. Patricia Aston; HC, K. Aston, G. Noble and B. Griffith.
B GRADE: 1, V. Gadd; 2, N. Dick; 3, S. Martin; HC, L. Nicoll, B. Foster, J. Frazer and K. Whitby.
Messrs. Kodak provided an Enlarging demonstration, and members Mrs. M. Foster and Mrs. M. Hughes tried enlarging for the first time, and quite successfully. Another three members joined our ranks, including 9 years old Patricia Leddon who is already doing her own contact prints.
Next evening, a group of 16 visited the Holtermann display at the Public Library’s Dixson Galleries. We are grateful to Miss P. Mander-Jones for conducting us on this viewing, and members found it to be a well spent evening.
TRAVEL SLIDE NIGHT
AN INVITATION FROM THE
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
On Wednesday 6th May, an Exhibition of Color and Monochrome Slides will be presented by Messrs. Charles Stanmore and Ivan Lund, members of the 1952 Olympic Fencing Team. This Exhibition has been arranged by the Eastern Suburbs Cameramateurs who extend an invitation to you to see these slides taken on the trip to Helsinki, and an opportunity to meet two of Australia's 1952 Olympic Representatives.
Don't miss this evening! The date: 6th May, 1953. The Time: 8.30pm. The Place: St. George’s Church Hall, Five Ways, Paddington. (Bellevue Hill trams pass the door).
A small collection will be taken to help the Club’s Darkroom Fund.
1st June 1953 Page 331 - Vol. 60 No. 6 Australasian Photo-Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
On 8th April we were shown a very interesting sound movie taken at Kodak’s Rochester, U.S.A. factories and featuring the production of many Kodak lines.
Judging by popular vote was tried for the first time to decide the award winner of the Special Trophy for the best print taken on the recent Emu Plains Field Day. This excellent trophy was gained by G. Thompson. The placings indicated that popular voting can be quite successful as it was doubtful if an independent judge would have given a different verdict.
Competition night was 22nd April, and the subject "A Human Interest Scene Taken in Centennial Park". The judge was Mr. J. Mortley of Kodak Ltd., who complimented the club on its rapid progress in such short time and on the good quality of the competition entries. His awards were:
A GRADE: 1, K.L. Aston; 2, C. Nash; HC, K.L. Aston and E. Thackray.
B GRADE: A.E. Jones; 2, D. Hor-kwong; 3, N. Allen; HC, S. Martin and L. Nicoll.
We then saw a full-color sound movie demonstrating the Flexichrome Process. Members were particularly impressed with this process and marveled at the color prints displayed. This evening completed a series of six demonstrations by Mr. Townsend of Kodak Ltd. and in recognition of his outstanding services to the club it was decided to appoint him an Honorary Life Member.
A stormy evening on 6th May was responsible for the disappointing attendance at our much publicized Olympic Slide Show. However, sixty members and visitors witnessed an excellent selection of color slides taken by Mr. Charles Stanmore of the 1952 Olympic Fencing Team. At the end of this meeting the membership had reached forty-three.
We are now meeting in St. George’s Church Hall, Five Ways, Paddington. All correspondence should be addressed to the Secretary, C. Strange, Cnr. Oxford and Regent Streets, Paddington. Ladies particularly are invited to join the Eastern Suburbs Cameramateurs. They will be given every encouragement in this club, and if they are beginners they will be given private and personal instruction in developing, printing and enlarging.
Club Badges are in production and a Club Magazine will soon be issued to every member, regularly and free of charge.
1st July 1953 Page 393 - Vol. 60 No. 7 Australasian Photo-Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
Our monthly competition was an open one held on 20th May, and the judging was of an experimental nature. President Kevin Aston judged the B Grade in the usual manner with a criticism of each entry, and his awards as under were well received:
B GRADE: 1, L. Nicoll; 2, D. Hor-kwong; 3, K. Whitby. HC, S. Martin (2), Mrs. M. Foster and S. Tanner.
The A Grade was judged by popular vote and the following observations are made — particularly for the guidance of other clubs contemplating the same idea. The results turned the competition into a farce as, when votes were counted there were two firsts, two seconds and three thirds, and it was noticed that prints on the bottom of the three-row print racks were practically ignored whilst most of the placings were in the top row. The competition was followed with an informal demonstration of Portrait Lighting by Kevin Aston.
Sunday 24th May, brought 25 members and families together for a Picnic Field Day at Windsor and Ebenezer, and the weather was quite favorable for the pictorialists.
We held a Members Color Slide Show on June 3rd and some ninety slides were shown, whilst members gave a running commentary on their own slides. This was the first time members had shown their prowess at Color Photography and some surprisingly good work was shown, which augers well for our Annual Color Slide Exhibition planned for next December. On the same evening members were issued with a roneod magazine ambiguously titled “Light Reading” and which will be issued monthly, free to all members.
All correspondence to this club should be addressed to the Secretary, Mr. C. Strange, Cnr. Oxford and Regent Streets, Paddington. We still have a limited number of vacancies for members, and would welcome some more ladies.
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
ANNOUNCEMENT
1st August 1953
Page 459 - Vol. 60 No. 8 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
Our Open Competition on the evening of 17th June was judged by Mr. J. Mitchell who has a happy knack of combining sound judgment with a very humorous approach. Members thoroughly enjoyed his comments, and his placings were:
A GRADE: 1, Mrs. Patricia Aston; 2, V. Gadd; 3, K.L. Aston.
B GRADE: 1, S. Martin; 2, D. Hor-kwong; 3, K. Whitby; HC, Mrs. Mary Hughes and K. Whitby.
We have now held six monthly competitions and with half the year behind us it is interesting to take a look at the point score. The leading scorers in A GRADE are very close together and one of the fair sex is at present in front. With a greater number of competitors in B GRADE, the position is still rather open with one or two showing a slight edge on the rest of the field. Here are the scores:
A GRADE: Mrs. Patricia Aston and K.L. Aston, 13; G. Thompson, 12; V. Gadd, 10.
B GRADE: D. Hor-kwong, 9; S. Martin, 8; K. Whitby, 7; L. Nicoll, 6.
The balance of the competition night was covered by a display of prints kindly loaned by Mr. Max Dupain upon which members commented firstly, followed by a summing up by Mr. Mitchell. Members are indebted to Mr. Dupain for preparing this portfolio.
July saw the issue of our very attractive club badge and members of other clubs should watch for the black on yellow design now being worn on our lapels. On the same night the second issue of our club journal Light Reading was issued, and it showed, if anything, an improvement on the first issue.
President K.L. Aston then spoke on Entering Outside Competitions, a subject on which he has some experience. After pointing out the benefits to be derived from competing in open company, he briefly demonstrated spotting, mounting and oiling prints, and passed on some trade secrets to members. Quite a few took notes during this marathon lecture and it would not surprise if a new crop of names began to appear in A.P.-R. competitions (which the lecturer recommended as a good place to begin) and other regular competitions.
All correspondence to this club, including requests for membership application forms, should be addressed to the Secretary, C. Strange, Cnr. Oxford and Regent Streets, Paddington.
1st September 1953
Page 522 - Vol. 60 No. 9 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
Gadget Night was held on 15th July and a small group of ingenious constructions were displayed, most amazing being a camera-container, for underwater use, built by a visitor to the club who is, needless to say, an ardent spear-fisherman.
The monthly competition was judged by senior workers D. Hor-Kwong, S. Martin and K.L. Aston.
A GRADE: the first two judges gave the following placings: 1 (equal), Mrs. Patricia Aston and K. L. Aston; 3, G. Thompson; HC, K.L. Aston and G. Thompson.
B GRADE: Judge K.L. Aston made these awards: 1, D. Hor-Kwong; 2, L. Nicoll; 3, (Equal), S. Martin and K. Whitby; HC, B. Masters, S. Martin and K. Whitby.
The following Wednesday a special meeting was held to inaugurate a series of instructions on the art of judging. Judges being so few and hard to find, we have decided that we will try to produce some of our own. We have already two or three members who are capable of sane judgment and these fellows will be only too pleased to offer their services to other clubs. Our instructor on this occasion was Mr. Keast Burke who conducted a print clinic, gave excellent instruction, and is right behind us in this venture. Our next speaker on the subject will be Mr. J. Metcalfe.
Our friend Mr. B. Townsend, who is also the friend of many new clubs we know, was installed as a Life Member on July 29th in recognition and appreciation of his regular work for this club. We then put him straight to work to give us a very excellent slide lecture on composition. This was a slide version of the recent sketch series in the A.P.-R. Two nights later a small group held a photographic evening in the city.
Plans are well in hand for two big inter-club projects promoted by this club. The first will be a Combined Field Day at Otford on 23rd August with clubs from Wollongong, Waverley and Caringbah. The second, set down for 30th September, will be an Inter-club Print Competition against Marrickville. All are invited to this Competition Night which is to be held at St. George’s Church Hall, Five Ways, Paddington to decide the winner of a trophy for annual competition. For the two clubs involved it will be a dress rehearsal for the coming N.S.W. Inter-club event.
Persons living outside the Metropolitan Area, and interested in associate membership of this club, should write for particulars to the Associate Membership Director, Underwood Street, Paddington, N.S.W. Full members are still welcome, but our ranks are filling up and we have a full-establishment figure of sixty. All enquiries should be directed to the Secretary, Mr. C. Strange, corner of Regent and Oxford Streets, Paddington.
1st October 1953
Page 590 - Vol. 60 No. 10 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
“Still Life and Table Top” was the subject of our monthly competition for August:
A GRADE our judges, D. Hor-kwong and S. Martin made the following awards: 1, G. Thompson; 2 and 3, K.L. Aston; HC, Mrs. Patricia Aston.
B GRADE our judges, G. Thompson and Mrs. Patricia Aston, and their placings were; 1, D. Hor-kwong; 2, K. Whitby; 3, K. Whitby; HC, K. Whitby.
We introduced a unique idea by calling upon the award winners to explain how they conceived their pictures for this competition and exactly how they approached the subject matter from a technical aspect. This provided the “spectator members” with the answers to those questions which crop up at every print show — “I wonder how he got that effect?” ... etc. Everyone agreed that this experiment was a very successful and helpful one, and gave the senior workers an opportunity to be of some real assistance to those; not as far advanced.
The next meeting was a Members Color Slide Show. We run these shows every three months in a most informal manner. Print Director G. Noble does the projection while members hear the authors call details of the slides from their seats. The recent institution of a tea break in the middle of our meetings makes such an evening even more enjoyable.
Our journal, “Light Reading”, was produced in a much larger quantity this month and copies were distributed to the photographic public from the counters of several dealers. We took this step in order to encourage those who are not members of clubs to join their local club. We hope that some other clubs may have some new members as a result of this move. The leading article exhorted “Lone Wolves” to join the club most handy, not necessarily our own, although we are certainly hoping to gain a few new friends too.
All our friends are beginning to call us “The Cameramateurs” for short, and we feel that we are now sufficiently well known to drop the Eastern Suburbs part of our title unofficially, though we shall still retain it for very official purposes. Hence the new heading at the top of this report.
The month’s biggest activity was shared with three other clubs — the big Inter-club Field Day at Otford.
1st October 1953
Page 633 - Vol. 60 No. 10 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
INTER-CLUB FIELD DAY TO OTFORD
When the Cameramateurs were planning their last field day, they decided to invite another club along to share the fun. It was thought best to meet a club whose members do not normally come in contact with theirs, and yet could travel to the same venue, Wollongong was approached, and with a hearty response from that club, plans swung into action for a meeting in the picturesque little township of Otford, about half-way between Sydney and Wollongong. It looked like being such a great experience that two other clubs were invited to join in, these being from Waverley and Caringbah.
No day could have been blessed with more glorious weather than August 23rd, and thousands of pounds worth of equipment, proudly borne by one hundred members, families and friends, poured into Otford. All club members bore lapel tags announcing their names and clubs, so that conversations were easily started.
The Cameramateurs amazed their committee by turning up in greater numbers than ever before to the point of fifty persons. The other three clubs were represented by 15 to 18 each, and the attendance was most gratifying to those who organized the day.
All who came had been persuaded, in advance, to cook their lunch over the camp fire, and many did just that, with mixed success. Several lunches and owners almost came to grief when the damp stones in their fireplaces began to explode most alarmingly. A delightful little creek ran through the center of the lunching area and certain people sat on the banks with cameras at the ready in the event of somebody falling in during the many crossings that were being made. One such person later became a victim himself, as fate will have it.
After all the initial introductions and displaying of prized equipment was completed, small groups began to team up and go foraging for material. There was an abundance of good pictorial subject matter in Otford and the competitions of these four clubs should see some of the day’s efforts doing well.
Above all, everyone agreed that the good fellowship of the day had been well worth the effort, and the Cameramateurs have been asked to make it an annual event. On the basis of the outstanding success of this venture, the Cameramateurs, always optimistic, will certainly promote the big event annually. The committee of the Cameramateurs greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet their counterparts in Wollongong, Waverley and Caringbah Clubs, and wish to thank most sincerely those good folk who, by their attendance, made the occasion such a happy one for all concerned.
Executives meet at the Inter-Club Field Day at Otford.
Left to right, shaking hands: A.R. Calton, Secretary, Caringbah;
K.L. Aston, President, Cameramateurs; B. Jessop, President, Wollongong;
and J. Browne, President, Waverley.
Behind them are members of their respective committees.
1st November 1953 Page 654 - Vol. 60 No. 11 Australasian Photo-Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
The first meeting in September was a most enjoyable one indeed. Firstly our Monthly Competition was judged by Mr. B. Nasmyth with the following awards:
A GRADE: 1, V. Gadd; 2, G. Thompson.; 3, C. Nash; HC., G. Thompson.
B GRADE: 1, K. Whitby; 2, L. Nicoll; 3, J. Leddon; HC., S. Martin and D. Hor-Kwong.
Then we witnessed Mr. Nasmyth’s famous toning demonstration which was as entertaining as it was instructional. Mr. Nasmyth really rolls up his sleeves and gets stuck into his demonstration. We were happy to publish his complete list of toning formulae in our fifth edition of Light Reading, the club’s free monthly journal.
At the Inter-Club Competition between Marrickville District Photographic Society
and The Cameramateurs, the Presidents of the two Clubs are respectively seen holding the top scoring prints by
I.E. Jones and K.L. Aston. The Cameramateurs President is also holding the Inter-Club Trophy.
Photograph: K.R. Whitby
The following meeting was the big Inter-Club Print Competition against Marrickville District Photographic Society. We had quite a number of visitors and our judge on this occasion was Mr. J. Mortley of the Kodak organization. Mr. Mortley commented on one half of the prints from each club before the tea break, and at this stage the score was very close, so that neither club felt sure of the final result to predict the eventual winner. On resuming his comments, which Mr. Mortley always does most thoroughly, the score was still very even to the last. The Cameramateurs defeated Marrickville by only 18 points and everyone was most happy with the result. The Cameramateurs became holders of the “Washington H. Soul Pattinson Trophy” for the next year. Top scoring print for Marrickville was Beached by I.E. Jones with 17 points from 20 and the top print in the Cameramateurs group was K.L. Aston’s Lost Glory. Mr. Mortley commended the idea of regular inter-club activities as a means of strengthening photography generally and the fellowship of amateur enthusiasts.
Our meetings for November will be held in St. George’s Hall, Five Ways, Paddington at 8pm on 11th and 25th. Why not come along?
If you live in the back blocks you can become one of our Associate Members. Write for details to our Associate Member Director, Jack Fraser, Underwood Street, Paddington, N.S.W. Our Secretary is Cec. Strange, corner Oxford and Regent Streets, Paddington.
1st December 1953 Page 719 - Vol. 60 No. 12 Australasian Photo-Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
We were happy to witness Mr. A. Eade’s skill at spotting and print finishing on October 14th, as well as have him judge our monthly competition with the Set Subject Tree Study. His awards were:
A GRADE: 1, Mrs. P. Aston; 2, J. Rayner; 3 and HC, G. Thompson.
B GRADE: 1, S. Martin; 2 and 3, K. Whitby; HC, D. Hor-Kwong.
Our competition year is drawing to a close and one Open Competition remains before the Point Score Winners are decided. The progress score is:
A GRADE: G. Thompson, 27; Mrs. P. Aston, 26; K.L. Aston, 24; V. Gadd, 17.
B GRADE: D. Hor-Kwong, 23; K. Whitby, 23; S. Martin, 19; L. Nicoll, 16.
The following meeting saw much lively debate on some contentious matters and unfortunately our member/lecturer Mr, D. McGee had his time restricted to a regrettable degree. However, he condensed his lecture in admirable fashion and spoke in layman’s language on Mixing Developers and Understanding Chemical Actions in Photography. We hope to give him the floor again in the near future. On this evening, a prospective new member volunteered the information that he was a practising professional. This caused complications as our constitution restricts membership to amateurs. Then came the above mentioned debate which resulted in his being admitted as a noncompetitive member.
There is much excited preparation for our 1st Annual Exhibition and we extend a big welcome to all readers to visit this big show either on the opening night December 11th, or between 10am and 4pm next day. The Exhibition will be shown in St. George’s Hall, Five Ways, Paddington. Bellevue Hill trams go right past the door.
1st February 1954 Page 69 - Vol. 61 No. 2 Australasian Photo-Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
The final competition in the year’s series was held on November 11th, and was judged by life member Mr. B. Townsend, whose placings were:
A GRADE: 1, K. Aston; 2, K. Aston; 3, Patricia Aston; HC, V. Gadd.
B GRADE: 1, S. Martin; 2 and 3, K. Whitby; HC, L. Nicoll.
The points scored by the above decided the final scores for this competition year, and they were:
A GRADE; 1 (Equal), Patricia and K. Aston, 29; 3, G. Thompson, 28; 4, V. Gadd, 19; 5, C. Nash, 10.
There were seven other competitors.
B GRADE: 1, K. Whitby, 27; 2 (Equal), D, Hor-Kwong and S. Martin, 24; 4, L. Nicoll, 18.
There were eighteen other competitors. The rest of the evening was devoted to an excellent lecture demonstration on Electrical Safety in the Darkroom by member Stan Martin.
Our annual election of officers was conducted at the following meeting and the committee for 1954 incorporates five members of the 1953 group and two new members; we now have one of our lady members in charge of publicity and this column. The new committee is: President, K. L. Aston; Vice-President and Associates' Director, J. Fraser; Secretary, C. Strange; Treasurer, K. Whitby; Print Director, G. Noble; Outings Officer, V. Gadd; Publicity Officer, Mrs. Patricia Aston. The remainder of this meeting was a demonstration by the President of some modern photographic equipment.
Our meetings for February, 1954, will be held in St. George’s Hall, Five Ways, Paddington, on Wednesday evenings, 3rd and 17th. We still have vacancies for new members of both sexes.
Our first Annual Exhibition proved to be a great success when it was opened by Dr. A.E.F. Chaffer APSA, on December 11th and about 120 people were present, including representatives of eight other clubs. The seventy-six Sydney prints and about thirty by Associate Members were judged by Mr. Cliff Noble. The Color Slides were judged by Mr. James Savage. The trophies, presented by Dr. Chaffer, were not only for the exhibition, but also for various sections of the year’s work, and the awards were:
GRAND CHAMPION PRINT OF THE YEAR: K.L. Aston;
PRINT OF THE YEAR, A GRADE: Mrs. Patricia Aston:
PRINT OF THE YEAR: B GRADE, S. Martin;
COLOR SLIDE OF THE YEAR: D. Hor-Kwong;
ASSOCIATES' PRINT OF THE YEAR: J. Noyce, Warramboo, S.A.;
ASSOCIATES' BEST TRADE PROCESSED PRINT: R. Osbourne, Perth, W.A.;
BEST HAND-COLORED PRINT: Miss Marie Lee;
A GRADE POINT SCORE: 1, (Equal), Mrs. Patricia Aston and K. L. Aston; 3, G. Thompson.
B GRADE POINT SCORE: 1, K. Whitby; 2 (Equal), D. Hor-Kwong and S. Martin;
MOST IMPROVED PHOTOGRAPHER: K. Whitby;
AWARD FOR CLUB'S HARDEST WORKER: S. Martin;
SPECIAL AWARD FOR ACTIVE CLUB WORK: Mrs. Morrie Foster.
Our first meeting for the New Year was held on January 6th, and Mr. James Savage presented a One-Man Show of his excellent Color Slides and then followed with a Question and Answer Session.
We have accepted with regret the resignation of our Secretary, Cec. Strange, from the secretarial position, and, until our new secretary takes up duty, all correspondence should be sent to the President, Renny St., Paddington, or the Vice-President, Underwood St., Paddington.
In the next three months we have booked the services of some very interesting top-line lecturers in Messrs. Metcalfe, Mallard, Gale and Jones, and men and women interested in joining our group should ring for enquiries Kevin Aston, Tel. 8W2691, during business hours.
1st April 1954
Page 199 - Vol. 61 No. 4 The Australasian Photographic Review
EASTERN SUBURBS CAMERAMATEURS
Well-known judge Mr. J. Metcalfe handled our first Monthly Competition for 1954, and later spoke on the difficult art of judging a pictorial competition. He brought home to members a fuller appreciation of what we must strive for in producing prints and what we must understand before criticizing the work of others. Mr. Metcalfe openly advocated truthful analysis of the work of fellow photographers rather than giving a 'soft soap' pleasantry, which gives a false value to a worker’s standard. One very important point he made was that a competitor who cannot take criticism straight from the shoulder is not worth his salt as a photographer or club member.
We were very happy when Mr. Metcalfe, quite unsolicited, asked for a membership application form. His entry into our ranks as an ordinary member is a happy occasion for the Cameramateurs.
Mr. Metcalfe’s placings in the January competition; were:
SENIOR: 1, D. Hor-Kwong; 2, S. Martin; 3, R. Israel; HC, L. Nicoll.
A GRADE: 1, D. McGee; 2, E. Coote; 3, D. McGee;.
B GRADE; 1, R. Gibson; 2, B. Masters; 3, J. Fraser.
The prints shown in each group were: SENIOR, 14; A GRADE, 8; B GRADE, 15. The Club’s smallest attendance on record was on the evening of February 3rd, the night of the Royal Visit fireworks display, which was to be expected. The big attraction of the night was on the wall in the form of an A.P.-R. portfolio of 24 prints. Each member judged the prints on Mr. Metcalfe’s point score system. The total number of points for each print was added up from the sheet of each judge and the average placings found. Following this was a lively discussion on the prints.
An exceptionally large number of members — thirty five — were present at our meeting on February 17th and five new members were enrolled, including one lady. The judge scheduled for our Shipping competition was unavoidably absent so our president K. Aston stepped into the breach. The placings were;
SENIOR: 1, R. Israel; 2, C. Nash.
A GRADE; 1,2, 3 and HC, J. Spiteri; HC, E. Coote.
B GRADE: 1, A. Haig; 2, B. Masters; 3, J. Fraser; HC, G. Chant.
Our usual informal quarterly color slide show formed the main program for our meeting on March 3rd. This meeting was conducted by our Vice-President, V. Gadd, in the absence of President K. Aston who was interstate on business. We were happy to see a fine selection of slides by one of our visitors.
Our meetings for April will be held in St. George’s Hall, Five Ways, Paddington on the evenings of 14th and 28th. Visitors and new members will be welcome. All correspondence to this club should be addressed to the Secretary, PO Box 28, Paddington.
1st May 1954
Page 261 - Vol. 61 No. 5 The Australasian Photographic Review
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Our March competition was judged by Mr. A.W.W. Gale ARPS, who was faced with a very large entry of Open prints. Mr. Gale approached the task in a very businesslike manner, and his remarks on each print were the most constructive and helpful comments heard by members for some time. Mr. Gale also gave a very interesting outline of his methods of judging a show of this nature.
On March 31st our scheduled lecturer was indisposed, and once again President Kevin Aston had an impromptu lecture up his sleeve and took over the proposed subject. He demonstrated and explained the use of Electronic Flash, which is becoming increasingly popular; and with the usual authoritative interjections of a certain member employed in the electrical field, he managed to impart some good instruction.
The same evening saw the resignations from the committee of foundation members Patricia and Kevin Aston, Publicity Officer and President respectively, due to personal obligations. However, they will both continue as active rank-and-file members. Our popular Secretary, Jack Fraser, was elected as the new President at a subsequent committee meeting and the Publicity Officer is now John Leddon. Print Director George Noble is also finding heavy calls on his spare time and will shortly hand over his club duties to the enthusiastic newcomer, Harvey Lee. Our new Secretary is David Hor-Kwong.
Membership during the month rose by eight to fifty-five, excluding our sixteen Associate Members living in all States of Australia, as well as several overseas. We meet every second Wednesday in St. George’s Church Hall, Five Ways, Paddington. The dates for May are 12th and 26th. Visitors and new members are welcome. All correspondence should be addressed to the Secretary, PO Box 28, Paddington, N.S.W.
1st July 1954
Page 397 - Vol. 61 No. 7 The Australasian Photographic Review
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We have had a very active program since last reporting. Three competitions have been held, one Open, one with the Shakespearean Statue as Set Subject, and a special one to find the best Royal Tour Festivities shot taken by a member. Judges included Barry Townsend of Kodak Staff and members Frank Kriz, Vic. Gadd and Kevin Aston.
The lecture delivered during this period was Color facts, Part I, from our member Barry Townsend. We have also held a very enjoyable Members Color Slide Night and it is good to see that the standard of our color is improving rapidly.
Many newer members are doing well in the Competition Point Score for Monthly Print Competitions and the following have been most successful in their respective grades: A. Haig, R. Gibson, B. Masters, J. Spiteri, J. Rayner, E. Coote, R. Israel, G. Vince, C. Nash.
Most of last year’s award winners have taken a rest this year though not, we hope, a permanent one. The standard of prints being produced this year shows remarkable improvement and we should acquit ourselves more successfully in Inter-club Competitions.
The Field Day at Hornsby Fish Ponds was a very enjoyable one, and the usual large number of members and families turned up in good weather. The Field Days are now planned to be much more frequent, monthly instead of quarterly.
The club is still growing in membership and expanding its amenities. The club journal Light Reading which is free to members each month and has eight pages of personal news and technical articles is now in its second year. Meetings for July will be held in St. George’s Hall, Five Ways, Paddington at 8pm on the 7th and 21st. Write to the Secretary at Box 28 P0, Paddington for further details. Visitors are welcome at all meetings.
1st August 1954
Page 461 - Vol. 61 No. 8 The Australasian Photographic Review
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We commenced June with a Portrait Competition which was judged by Mr. Nicholas Treatt, who expounded some very definite theories on the subject. Mr. Treatt displayed some of his own excellent portraits which were viewed with great interest. He added to this some details of his 'Mortensen training' and explained “developing to infinity” with D-76, by which method he obtained maximum detail. Some members have since tried this idea with heartening results.
Next meeting was a Technique Comparison assignment, Members of each Grade were partnered and two workers each made a print from the same negative. With the resulting sets on the wall, Kevin Aston compared technique and quality of each print with its partner. This proved to be one of the most instructive lessons held at the club. After Mr. Aston finished his survey, each worker submitted himself to quizzing, and in many cases admitted that his partner turned out a better print from the negative than he did himself. It was pleasing to see some self criticism for a change and most members requested that we make this a regular feature.
July’s first meeting was an Open Competition judged by Mr. Ken McDairmid, who found the quality of our work higher than he had expected and immediately signed up as a member. Some forty prints were submitted — this figure is now becoming our average for each competition — and the judge found little to choose between prints in each grade. After considerable deliberation he made the following awards:
SENIORS: 1, K. Whitby; 2, K.L. Aston; 3, D. Hor Kwong.
A GRADE: 1, J. Rayner, 2, J. Spiteri; 3, E. Coote.
B GRADE; 1, Marie Lee; 2, R. Gibson; 3, W. Sanne.
We still have vacancies for membership and all enquiries should be directed to the Secretary, PO Box 28, Paddington. Visitors are welcome to all meetings. August’s meetings will be held on 4th and 18th.
1st November 1954
Page 652 - Vol. 61 No. 11 The Australasian Photographic Review
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We held our big “Washington H. Soul Pattinson Annual Trophy” Competition on September 15th and at this meeting the Cameramateurs were successful for the second time in retaining the shield. Our club was shaken, however, by the stiff competition put up by the other contesting dubs, namely, Waverley and Marrickville. If they continue to show the enterprise already displayed they will be hard to beat next time.
The competition was judged by Mr. Hugh Tolhurst, who made a point of the advantage of human interest in most photographs. The results were: Cameramateurs 178, Waverley 169. Marrickville 148.
Our Inter-club Outing with Wollongong, Caringbah, Waverley and Marrickville was held this year at Stanwell Park.
Our Annual Meeting will be held on November 26th at 8pm. Visitors are invited with the promise of an interesting and entertaining evening. At this meeting we will hold our Print of the Year Competition, and also the display and judging of our color slides and presentation of awards. All meetings are held at St. George’s Hall, Five Ways, Paddington.