Calling all photographers on the Isle of Wight the Digital Economy Bill affects you!

As Isle of Wight Digital Imaging Group photographers were recently made aware, the Digital Economy Bill (DEB) is currently grinding its way through Parliament. It will reach report stage early next month, and the Government are determined to see the DEB passed without further amendment before the May 6th election.

The UK’s photographic community from the professional, to the amateur, are to be impacted by the new Digital Economy Bill. Various groups are coming together in an attempt to rouse the British public from its slumbers on this hugely-important issue.

We have urged our members to write or email our Island MP Andrew Turner  here: mail@IslandMP.com about the orphan licensing provisions of the Digital Economy Bill.

Britain’s Digital Economy Bill is based largely on a report by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) entitled “© the way ahead“. The report and its recommendations are a bid to reduce the complexity of the system, and should remove the need to seek permission and make payment for personal use of individual copyright works’. Continue Reading »

Photographers across the globe are expected to celebrate World Pinhole Day 2010 - due to take place on Sunday 25th April 2010. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event and everyone is being encouraged to take a photograph using a simple pinhole camera and upload the resulting images to www.pinholeday.org.

Last year as in previous years Isle of Wight Digital Imaging Group  pinhole enthusiasts took part in Eric Mitchells Pinhole Day at Dimbola.  Pinhole expert Eric celebrates World Pinhole Day by running a special course at Dimbola Lodge every April. Quite a few IWDIG photographers try to put down their DSLRs for a few hours to experience the origins and art of Pinhole photography.

‘The purpose of the event is to show that from a device as simple as a cardboard box you can discover the wonder achieved through the simple act of capturing an image through a small hole.’

Eric get’s creative with Pinhole Photography and is more than willing to help anyone that has an interest, to experiment with cake tins, baked bean cans and his own preferred medium beer cans. Continue Reading »

Twenty-four photographers (around half the members) from the IWDIG turned up for the Quarr Abbey photoshoot kindly arranged by Lorraine Skipper on Saturday the 30th January.  The group were met, in the car park, by a one-eyed ginger cat named Cruikshank who led them to the assembly point at the Abbey’s Bookshop.

Divine intervention or luck who knows but the light was perfect or according to Cruikshank purrfect!

The tour started with a very informative talk from Father Luke about the lifestyle of the monks and a brief history of the buildings backed-up of course by Cruikshank and a little Robin who had just decided to join the tour.

We are very grateful that our photographers were allowed to snap away to their hearts content throughout the visit and we are very much looking forward to seeing the results.

Although we had hoped for greater access to the Abbey we still had plenty of opportunity to take photographs of the Chapel, the Church and the grounds not to forget Cruikshank, the Robin and a Red Squirrel that had now joined our party. 

Thanks to Father Luke, the cat, the robin, the squirrel and  the photographers for turning up and making this shoot so successful, we look forward to seeing your images and to our next photographic outing. A very Special thanks to Father Luke for allowing us access to the Abbey.

“Abbey” photograph above copyright IWDIG – “Statue & Robin” copyright Lorraine Skipper (all rights reserved).

We guess that the novelty of heavy snowfalls is beginning to wear a little thin for most of you by now. Still a prisoner in your home, suffering from cabin fever and running out of snow photographs? So we thought now would be a good time to set the first Extreme macro competition for 2010.

As before IWDIG members may have as many guesses as they like, emailed in please. The competition winner to be announced at the 27th January meeting. Thanks again to David for the photographs and Island Photo Centre for the Gift Voucher prizes.

We have been trying unsuccessfully since 6 a.m. this morning to book a sleigh for this evening to collect you all for Dimbola. Unfortunately, all forms of snow transport have already been booked and so we have no alternative but to cancel this evening’s meeting due to lack of sleighs and the adverse weather conditions.

On the brighter side this does give you the opportunity to shoot some wonderful winter scenics which we thought might be nice to look at next week along with your Christmas task shots – email in if possible please!

We hope you are all safe and warm and not stranded! Take care, we look forward to seeing you all next week…