Morpeth Camera Club: Howard's eye-catching images displayed to members

Howard has been a member of Tynemouth Photographic Society since the late 1960s and is currently the Syllabus Secretary and the External Competitions Secretary.

He opened the evening (January 24) with an introduction to his work with images of statuary, anchors, stained glass, ropes and lamps before showing an Audio Visual (Av) presentation entitled Bikes.

Set in Amsterdam and Haarlem, those in attendance saw a myriad of cyclists – on phones, carrying passengers, with sidecars, carrying children – all in bright colours.

An Av of Clevedon Pier came next with details of signage, brass memorial plaques, the Pagoda, lamps, ironwork and silhouettes at sunset over the Bristol Channel. This was followed by Liverpool Cathedrals; the Metropolitan Cathedral with its glass spires, vibrant stained-glass windows, and the more traditional cathedral with statuary, towering pillars and stonework.

Glimpses of St Petersburg was shown next, of the waterfront cranes, bustling city life, shops selling babushkas, traditionally dressed dolls and glittering decorated eggs, and ending with a sequence of dancing at the ballet.

Short Av’s of cruising holidays came next as the audience visited Warnemunde in Germany showing its busy street life and on the coast the very unusual beach chair huts under ominous storm clouds and in sunshine, followed by a cruise on the Stockholm archipelago with river views and homesteads, islands, buoys and navigation lights together with candid shots of passengers onboard.

Next was German Bells, an Av which illustrated sweeping farmland at harvest, church spires, onion shaped domes, church interiors and fallen, broken bells which had been retained as a memory of wartime.

A self-narrated Av entitled Post Boxes followed. An array of different shapes; the Penfold, the Ludlow wall fitted variety, Victorian, Edwardian, gold for Olympians, double apertured, blue post boxes for airmail and the very rare Edward VIII variety; all made this an interesting pocket history of a normally unnoticed feature on our streets.

A fast-paced Gateshead Games Av came next with cameramen, starters, runners, spectators, medals and action shots of relay, hurdles, high jump, javelin and shot put, all of which must have brought back memories for the audience.

Set to lilting music, Stone and Sand and Sea and Sky, Howard’s next Av, followed with images of rock pools, seaweed, dog walkers, sea coal and sand patterns on the shoreline – leading to a glowing sunset.

Next was a sequence on Cullercoats which included old sepia toned images of the bay long ago; of fishermen mending nets and fisherwomen waiting on the shoreline, which continued with contrasting images of today’s colourful scenes of strollers and sunbathers.

Let em In followed, a pacey Av of door bells and door knockers of every description on colourfully painted doors; of bears, dolphins, birds, hands, anchors, galleons, in shiny brass or painted matt black.

On a more serious note, Howard’s Av of the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire brought the audience down to earth with images of memorials to war and conflict. Statuary, plaques, walls and installations dedicated to the military, emergency services, civilians and charities in honour of the fallen, served as a poignant reminder. This successful Av had gained Howard his CPAGB/AV award.

To conclude his set, Howard showed an old Av which has become a firm favourite. Entitled Big River, it showed archive images of the Tyne riverside.

In an atmosphere of smoke and smog were rows of massive cranes, dank belching chimneys, blackened warehouses, of ships, shipbuilding and dock workers all reminding those of us in attendance of times past.

Co-chair Roseanne Robinson thanked Howard for his enjoyable, eclectic mix of Av presentations, which were set to well-chosen music, after which refreshments were served.

For more information about the club, please visit www.morpethcameraclub.co.uk and its dedicated Facebook page.