January Meeting

January Meeting

28th January - 2:00 p.m.

The competition for this month is Monochrome

The programme for the meeting is:-

• Welcome and introduce any newcomers
• Monochrome Competition.
• Extras - please bring along your latest pictures to present to the club.
• Presentation of the Dennis Harvey Photographer of the Year Award for 2025
• What is Metadata and EXIF data and why are they so useful?
• Presentation on the Affinity Editing Software.

Malcolm is going to present a short talk on metadata to the club, one of the key components within metadata is EXIF and how this hidden information quietly supports every photograph members take. EXIF data records the technical decisions behind an image — shutter speed, aperture, ISO, lens, focal length, and even GPS location — helping photographers understand why a photo worked or didn’t. Broader metadata, such as keywords, captions, and copyright details, plays a vital role in organising image libraries, protecting ownership, and sharing your work. He will use practical examples from familiar photos, the talk will demonstrate how reviewing metadata helps improve technique, refine shooting habits, and add valuable context to images, turning everyday photos into well-documented, searchable, and meaningful visual records.

Jan is going to showcase the Affinity Photo Editing software at this meeting, and she will highlight its advanced architecture and professional-grade toolset designed for high-performance workflows. The software is built on a GPU-accelerated engine, Affinity delivers real-time rendering for complex edits, including multi-layer compositions and high-resolution RAW processing. Key features Jan will showcase will included its AI-powered object recognition for precision masking (brilliant for changing backgrounds and skies), parametric adjustments with non-destructive layers, and a robust colour management system supporting HDR and wide-gamut profiles. The software also integrates seamlessly with cloud-based asset libraries and offers native support for PSD, TIFF, and vector formats, ensuring compatibility across most other editing platforms like PaintShopPro and Adobe Photoshop. It has advanced batch processing, customizable scripting via Python, and GPU-driven noise reduction to further position Affinity as a powerhouse for photographers and digital artists seeking speed, flexibility, and uncompromising quality, but one of its finest qualities is – it’s free!