Morpeth Camera Club: panoramic and letterbox images in the spotlight

Led by Glyn Trueman, the object was to discuss what makes a good panoramic or letterbox image and to see the varied ways in which members of Morpeth Camera Club responded.

Seventeen members took up the challenge, entering up to four images on any subject that had to be in either of the requested formats.

Glyn opened the evening by explaining the different ways to produce a letterbox image from simply cropping the top and bottom off an image to stitching several images together to make a panorama. Various means of photography had been used including iPhones, tablets and conventional digital cameras, and the results covered a wide variety of subjects.

Antony Vaudrey opened with landscapes of the Chain Bridge near Berwick and upstream revealing Paxton House. Brian Morris came up with a silhouette of benches and a minimalistic Lakeland jetty scene, and Ursula Pearce included scenes taken at Seaham and of beachcombers searching for sea glass.

Stephen Perry gave those in attendance a sharp vertical letterbox of a teasel and then seaweed on sand with plenty of what is known as ‘negative’ space. This encouraged discussion on whether space can enhance an image. It was agreed that space has to be useful to the composition and work together with image placement.

Stephanie Robson followed with a panorama of walkers following the path on Cat Bells and a sweeping Derwentwater landscape. Peter Downs’ contribution included scenes taken at Beamish and Woodhorn Museums, which had been sepia-toned.

Paul Appleby’s images included a panorama of Langdale Pikes, colourful scent bottles and bright vistas of Lake Garda. Destruction of Lemmington Woods after Storm Arwen was the theme for Pat Woods, with images of broken branches, log piles and wood transporters, which was followed by Scottish seascapes, Seaham Beach in the mist and Kielder Dam panoramas by Dave Bisset.

Martin Goble gave the audience something different with a collection of colourful sandpit toys and angular modern architecture, and Karin Jackson followed with atmospheric storm waves at Seaham and a misty Druridge Bay. John Thompson’s take on panoramas included Ponte Vecchio with its blend of ochre-coloured buildings and a Blyth beach viewpoint of a lone wind turbine and tanker.

Swans on Bolam Lake, a sweeping Newbiggin beach and an array of purple poppies were presented by Jeremy Cooper. Graham Sorrie contributed with his landscapes featuring El Capitan at Yosemite and a Lakeland scene taken from Red Pike. Then Sue Dawson gave those in attendance colourful seaside boards at the Metrocentre, symmetrical coloured phones in the iPhone shop and a Bamburgh Church interior panorama.

Davy Bolam followed with stylised poppies, Tynemouth Pier and Lighthouse and an intentional camera movement shot of dunes, sand and sea. He said that all his images had been cropped with the intention of leading the eye through the image. To conclude the evening, Glyn Trueman gave the audience an example of his panoramas – which included views from Newcastle castle over the Tyne, Belsay roof coverings during renovation and a glowing HDR shot taken inside St Cuthbert’s Cave.

Chairman Peter Downs thanked everyone who took up the challenge.