From time to time, members of the society have the opportunity to hear an experienced guest presenter from the adjacent island.

So, it was a particular pleasure when our vice president, Dr Ruth Nicholls, invited us to give a warm welcome to Carmen Norman LRPS, CPAGB from the Keswick Photographic Society in Cumbria recently.

Carmen had titled her presentation ’Moods in Landscape’. It was filled with basic educational and useful advice on landscape photography, in which genre she has won awards and had work accepted for publishing in various photo magazines.

In fact, from her base in the Lake District she also runs various landscape photography courses and workshops that receive rave reviews.

Moreover, she has also had published a set of field notes on how to derive the most from your chosen location and viewpoint.

Carmen began by giving details of the type and range of equipment she normally uses for her land and seascapes, before proceeding to project examples of her work.

She then gave a simple demonstration on how she had used software to enhance her images in order to focus the viewer’s attention by highlighting the key features.

Her easy presentational style made for an interesting evening during which you could have heard a pin drop as she illustrated a step by step guide to processing RAW images.

Her advice on perspective, exposure compensation, the rules of composition (Thirds and Phi), and on setting different modes of white balance, depending on the desired results, were particularly instructional and well received.

This was an extremely high quality presentation, broken into broadly six segments before and after refreshments, which gave just enough detail without becoming overly technical.

She also drew on a few relevant quotations from a number of notable people as diverse as Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBE RD, the oldest yachtsman to complete a round the world solo voyage, and American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

She had decided to close with a short video accompanied by appropriate background music.

It fell to one of the society’s life members, Brenda Shimmin, to propose a vote of thanks on this occasion which she did in her customarily eloquent style and which drew an enthusiastic response from the enthralled audience.

The next meeting of the society will be held on Wednesday, November 7, at 7.30 pm at Thie Ellyn, off Withington Road in Douglas, when there will be an ’open’ photographic prints competition for members.

This will be the first such competition in this year’s programme.

As always, guests are most welcome on payment of a nominal charge and, in fact, are encouraged to come along and join us.

Information about the society can be found at www.iomps.com

Antony Hamilton