The LSAPS Council

LSAPS 75th anniversary dinner was held on 23rd May at Lytham Hall and was a great success. The evening was organised by Janet Coulson, so at the start of the meal there was a small presentation of some flowers to Janet for her hard work.

There were some old photographs and memorabilia from the club’s history to look at before we enjoyed a couple of rounds of the traditional LSAPS sit-down bingo. We then started on the main event of the meal.

It was good to see our long distance member John Hagen (Scotland) also it was nice to see Julie England and past member Gloria. Thanks are also due to Paul and his team at Lytham Hall for the excellent food and service.

Gresgarth Hall by Gordon Watson

On Sunday 14^th May a group of us met at Gresgarth Hall Gardens, Caton on the outskirts of Lancaster for a Photo Walk. The weather was still and overcast which, for photographing plants, flowers and ornaments in the grounds, was ideal. The garden is made up of a number of interlinked areas, each with their own identify, which seamlessly blend together, along with arboretum walks, all with the backdrop of Gresgarth Hall.

We arrived just as the gardens opened and so we took the opportunity to start our walk on the lawn taking images over the lake using the Hall as a backdrop.  From there we all went our separate ways exploring the walks through the arboretum, the walled vegetable garden and the gardens divided by well manicured hedging. The planting was not overpowering, rather it had a natural feel containing a variety of plants with flowers that complimented each other. From a photographic perspective it gave us the opportunity to experiment with aperture to separate the subject from the background and try out different compositions. After a couple of hours we made our way home to view and process our days work, a selection of which is shown below.

Mike

Alpha Male Gelada Baboon by Mary Kirkby – Gold Medal In Nature Prints

The L&CPU Annual Individual Competition took place at the weekend of 13th/14th May and LSAPS scored some notable successes.

In the PDI competition we had 17 members enter 142 images. 8 members had 1 image or more score 12 or above (equivalent to an acceptance in external exhibitions). Congratulations to Brian Clark who got a Commended for his image “The Final Hurdle”.

In the Print competition we had 7 members enter 66 images. 6 members had 1 or more image score 12 or above and 5 of these have had images retained for the L&CPU Exhibition which takes places between 9th & 28th August. The 5 members who have images retained for the Exhibition are Gordon Watson, Mary Kirkby, Anthony Hull, Carol Watson and Daryl Giles. Carol and Gordon also had images retained for the PAGB Inter-Federation Competition. The following 2 members gained awards in the print competition:
Mary Kirkby – Gold for “Alpha Male Gelada Baboon”, Commended for “Leopard And Cub” and “Mursi Tribeswoman”
Carol Watson – Commended for “Windswept and Interesting”, “Looking Towards the Light” and “Old Miser”

Well done to all those who took part. All the LSAPS results are available in the pdf document below, and a selection of LSAPS images from each successful entrant are shown in the gallery.
Carol

LSAPS Results

LSAPS At Scout Scar by Mike Dorrington

The Scout Scar photo walk took place on Wednesday 19th April meeting at the car park before making our way up a short path onto Scout Scar. The sun was breaking through the clouds and there was brisk wind which at times was challenging. The panoramic views across the valley to the surrounding fells was hazy, but there was plenty of interest along the edge of the scar for a few photographs, a selection of which are shown below.

Anthony Hull

Liverpool Sign by Martin Round

The Liverpool waterfront photo walk took place on Sunday 26^th March. We met up on the bridge crossing Princes Dock and made our way along the bank of the Mersey to the Pier Head. On the way we passed HMS Portland moored at the Liverpool Cruise terminal berth. The Pier Head was busy and  I had failed to notice when arranging the event that the Liverpool half marathon and 10 miler event were starting and finishing in front of the Three Graces. The area was awash with runners and spectators alike entertained by the Batala Mersey Samba Reggae Drumming Band who put on a marathon display themselves.

Needless to say we opted for a more relaxing stroll around the waterfront, dodging the runners (literally!), to take images of the buildings and the activities taking place. Having started sunny, the clouds did appear but at least it stayed fine and we managed to get images of the old and new buildings around the docks, soe of which are shown below.

A couple of the group spent an hour or so on the Mersey Ferry and, as we went our separate ways at 1pm, a number stayed on to explore other parts of Liverpool. There’s always plenty to see. The next photo walk will take place on Wednesday 19^th April at Scout Scar near Kendal.

Mike Halstead