In the early of 2018 the club created a WhatsApp group for members. It has proved to be a very effective tool in terms of communication in the club. The group is Administred by Alan Salter. Alan can be contacted via email (allysalt “AT” hotmail.com). All members are requested to register for this group as going forward it will be used as the primary communication platform within the club.
We were privileged to have a display and presentation from our colleague Naoise Kelly. Naoise produced some wonderful Landscape and Seascape images. He went into great depth regarding the process of capturing these masterpieces. There was great discussion and questions / answers among members.
We also had the first of our popular “Show and Tell” sessions for the year. Four members exhibited there work and it was really enjoyed the members who found it both very beneficial and highly entertaining.
At our club meeting of February 6th on behalf of the Members of the Athy Photography Society (APS) Peadar Doogue Chairman, presented €500 to Siofra Merrin (Manager) and John Delaney Chairman of the Board of Management of HAPPY DAYS Community Childcare School, Woodstock St Athy. The €500 was a small contribution from the sales of the APS 2019 Calendar (Images of Athy)
The Chairman thanked Business People who sponsored pages in the Calendar, also thanked all who sold and all who purchased their Calendar.
The club have purchased a Monitor Calibration Unit and it is available free of charge to members. It is suitable for use with both Laptops and Desktops. It runs on both Windows and Mac. It is relatively easy to use and makes a considerable difference when trying to match output from Computer screens and printers.
It has been decided to locate the unit a JM Computers in Stanhope Street, Athy. It can be collected from there by prior appointment or the calibration can be carried in the shop. It is hoped that all members will avail of this useful utility.
The following are the Officers of the club for 2019
Chairman Peadar Doogue
Vice Chairman Paddy Joe Ryan
Secretary Willie Quinlan
Treasurer Pat Fleming
PRO Peadar Doogue
Committee Chris Bradshaw
Long standing member Paddy Joe Ryan has been recently crowned Athy Photographic Society Photographer of the Year for 2018. He proved to be a hugely popular winner with a great panel of 6 wildlife images. The competition was held on November 21st. at the Athy Family Resource Centre.
The format of the Photographer of the Year has changed and now it is decided on a panel of 6 images from each photographer. We have considerably reduced the amount of competitions in the club since last year. We have concentrated on helping and mentoring each other rather than competing against each other. The change has proved to be a wonderful success as could be witnessed on the night with members helping each other and giving advice on the presentation of the panels.
12 members participated and we extend hearty congratulations to each and every one. It was amazing to see all the fantastic photos displaying the various photography skills of our members. We are very grateful to Mr. Noel Buckley of South Kildare Camera Club who judged the event. Noel said he was very impressed with the very standard of photography and he found it very difficult to arrive at a final result. The members are very much appreciative of the time and effort Noel invested in the night and found his in depth and knowledgeable analysis to be very helpful.
The night ended with Paddy Joe being declared the winner and Chris Bradshaw in his first year as a member and the first occasion displaying images was awarded the Intermediate title.
Sunday November 11th marked the fourth edition of the Midland Photography Group Competition. The venue as in previous years was the Tullamore Court Hotel. Athy Photographic Society has a great record in this event, winning the first two editions in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 we finished down the field but this year we bounced right back. We finished in second place only narrowly beaten by Carlow Camera Club. Members were delighted with the performance which is a great reward the work and effort put in over the last year.
The competition consisted of 7 clubs from Carlow, Kildare, Laois and Offaly. Each club must submit 2 printed panels ; 8 Black and White images and 8 Colour images. Any one individual can only supply a maximum of two images. Each image is judged in terms of technical excellence, composition and visual impact. This year’s judges were Bill Power and John Finn, both international accredited judges from Cork. They invested a huge amount of time in effort in analysing the images and then providing very insightful comments to the large attendance.
Prizes are awarded to the best overall club, best overall image and also to the best black and white image and the best colour image from each panel. The prizes in Athy went to James Mahon in Black and White and Con Doyle in Colour.
We launched our 2019 Calendar on the opening night of our annual exhibition. As in previous years we have selected images from the local Athy area. We are delighted that this year’s edition features the work of thirteen of our members. Calendars are priced at €5 each and available from local shops or from club members. We are hugely indebted to our sponsors who make the production of this calendar possible. This year’s sponsors are
Shaws Department Store
Francis B, Taaffe & Co Solicitors
Liffey Mills
O’Brien’s Bar & Grocery
Moore’s Life Pharmacy
Clancy’s
Connaughton Auctioneers
JM Computer Services
Quinn’s Tyre Service and Animal Feed
People First Credit Union
Paddy Dunne’s Bar, Lounge and Off Licence
Pascal Greaney Butchers
Athy Photographic Society held the opening night of their annual Exhibition on Friday October 19th. 2018. The venue was the Athy Community College. The night was well attended and it proved to be a very enjoyable event. We were delighted to welcome members from other nearby Camera Clubs. The event was officially opened by Ms Lucina Russell, Arts Officer with Kildare County Council. We were also honoured to have the IPF President Mr. Domnic Reddin in attendance.
Sixteen members exhibited approximately 120 images which were very well received by those in attendance. We were delighted to have six members exhibiting for the first time. We have been very lucky in recruiting new members in the last year which has brought fresh dynamism and enthusiasm to the club. The exhibition continued until Sunday October 21st. The following is a list of participating photographers;
Larry Connell, Peadar Doogue, Con Doyle, Cynthia English, Frank Fanning, Pat Fleming, Brian Flynn, Martin Germaine, Aisling Hyland, Jimmy McCarthy, James Mahon, Eamon Murphy, Tara Pedreschi, Paddy Joe Ryan, Willie Quinlan and Nicholas Walsh
Here are just a sample of the photos that were on display
The members of Athy Photographic Society wish to congratulate Frank Fanning on winning the Durrow Scarecrow Senior Photography Competition 2018. This annual photography competition is a popular event in the festival. It attracts entries from throughout the country and is of a very high standard. It involves competitors submitting a maximum of 3 printed photos. This is Franks second year for entering the competition, he came second last year.
Frank’s entry consisted of a stunning still life, a beautiful sunset at Kilberry bog and a moody shot of the Rock of Dunamase.
