It was a relaxed and amiable Mike Hendon that revisited the club via Zoom on Thursday, to the delight of members, who gave him a warm welcome.

It was an evening of two contrasting halves. Firstly, we were treated to “Fun with Water” comprising shots taken by him of family in and around water. Next, he illustrated his fascination for water splash images, explaining both his techniques with remotely controlled flash and his experimentation with liquids, colours, balloons, fruit and veg!

We loved his commentary as well as the array of artistic form and shapes that danced that he captured as he grew in expertise. His antics in his garage with water and grandchildren, (always a good mix!) were a delight. We also fully empathised with his talk of competition judges who failed to appreciate some of his amazing shots! Equally heartening, was his portrayal of himself as a novice in wildlife photography, and tales of his ongoing journey towards expertise.

Next week we look forward to hearing judge Peter Otley’s comments on our efforts to illustrate “Letter O”, and in the meantime, members are reminded to send three photos of their choice to Jill Toman as soon as possible.

Unfortunately we were unable to hold our annual print exhibition in October 2020, and so the recently renamed Millenium Trophy, now the Witcombe Cup, could not be awarded for the people’s choice. We are delighted that our President, Margot Witcombe, whose father founded the Society and whose husband and long time supporter, Mike Witcombe, sadly died last year, has agreed to choose her favourite, so that the Witcombe Cup can continue to be awarded in the spirit in which it always has been.

Jenny Short