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Murcia photo of the month September 2024

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Here’s the top image of the month taken by the Los Alcázares Digital Camera Club (LADCC)

‘Macro Photography’ was the challenging competition topic set this month for LADCC. You will probably have seen incredible examples of macro photography on TV without even realising it. It is a complicated and technical subject for photographers, and macro photo studios are usually a mass of electronic equipment, whereas the mere mortals of LADCC simply had their trusted cameras and phones to work with.

What is macro photography and what is the difference between ‘macro’ and ‘close-up’ photography? ‘Close-up’ photography is pretty much what it says and is simply a way of enlarging a part of an image, whereas ‘macro photography’ is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small objects or living organisms like insects, in which the size of the object in the photograph is greater than life-size.

Our members stretched their technical skills to produce some absolutely fantastic photos. However, it was Debra Duncan, one of our more qualified photographers, who produced the most incredible macro photo of a fly. Debra had to take more than 40 shots of the fly before she was happy with her work.

For Debra the photo proved extremely challenging. She found it very difficult and particularly challenging as the depth of field (the area in front of and behind the point on which you focus) in this subject is so shallow. In her own words:

“The depth of focus in macro photography is sometimes so shallow that you don’t have the whole subject in focus. This can be very artistic when only a part of the flower is in focus and the rest out of focus. However, with insects and bugs etc. you really want as much as possible in focus which is not always easy when the light is not good or the little things are moving. Also, because of the magnification, even the slightest movement causes the image to be blurred. To combat this, I use a flash and a diffuser. The diffuser that I use is a Cygnustech diffuser but there are others available. The flash gives you a burst of light, allowing you to use a smaller aperture (to get more in focus) and also freezes the subject’s movement. The diffuser spreads out the light from the flash creating a softer light and avoiding any bright spots on the bug/insect.

Having said all this it does not mean that every shot you take is going to be perfect.”

The diffuser is, of course, more than many casual photographers use but I’m sure you’ll agree that Debra’s winning image below is pretty perfect!

Murcia photo of the month September 2024

Before the competition the Club had an outing to a public park in Los Alcázares where members tried to get ideas and practise their macro photography. This did provide passers-by with some amusement and we did get some curious looks! Debra used her diffuser on this occasion as the picture shows.

LADCC haven’t stopped taking photos this summer and have a new challenge for their next competition entitled ‘Shadows’. Hopefully the Murcia sun will continue to shine and the Club will be able to make use of the beautiful light to obtain some more stunning photos.

The Club usually meets twice a month with an indoor ‘workshop’ and often an outing toward the end of the month, where the group gets together to collectively work on the monthly competition. The Club welcomes new members, either visitors or residents, as with modern day technology we can all keep in contact for training sessions, sharing knowledge etc or more regularly via ‘group chats’.

If you would like more information about the Club, please do not hesitate to visit the website www.Los-alcazares-camera.club.com or contact Jill via email on informationladcc@gmail.com

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Share the pleasure of photography in the Mar Menor area

The Los Alcázares Digital Camera Club (LADCC) was founded in 2006 and was originally called the LA Digital Cafe, where members met over a coffee to discuss photography. This quickly developed into a more formal programme of monthly photo competitions and outings to places of photographic interest.

Over the years, the club has adapted to the changes in camera technology and techniques, and continued throughout Covid by using ‘Zoom’ for online meetings and learning sessions.

The club is now a small, enthusiastic, friendly group where members encourage and support each other at the start of, and throughout, their photographic journey. The group includes a wide range of people with varying skills, all of whom are happy to share techniques, tips and ideas to improve one’s hobby.

They have monthly competitions and outings that provide an opportunity to explore different aspects of photography and develop camera craft and artistic skills. Their indoor sessions may include in-house training, reviews of monthly competitions or planning outings to cover topics discussed.

They meet once a month at the ‘Centro Cultural las Claras’ in Los Narejos, which has super facilities and ample parking. Any outings are usually towards the end of the month to link in with our regular competitions.

New members are most welcome and if you would like more information, please make contact as follows: