CLUB OUTING - Tollymore Forest, Newcastle

First Outing of the Year – Tollymore Forest in February.

We kicked off the year with a trip to the beautiful Tollymore Forest Park — and honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.

The weather was lovely (which always helps!), and the forest looked amazing. Sunlight filtered through the trees, the river was flowing gently, and everywhere you looked there was something worth photographing. It felt good to dust off the cameras and get back out again after the winter break.

Trying Something Different – ICM

One of our members, Simon — who is seriously passionate about photography — gave us a bit of tuition on ICM (Intentional Camera Movement).

If you’ve never tried it, ICM is all about moving the camera during a longer exposure to create more abstract, painterly images. It’s a bit different from the usual “keep everything sharp” approach, but that’s what makes it so much fun.

Simon shared tips on:

• Slowing down the shutter speed

• Moving the camera vertically and horizontally

• Playing around with light and exposure

• Letting go and just experimenting

There were definitely a few “that didn’t quite work!” moments — but also some brilliant surprises. The woodland colours blended beautifully, and some of the results looked more like paintings than photographs.

A Great Day All Round

More than anything, it was just great to be back out together. Lots of chat, plenty of laughs, sharing ideas, comparing shots — that’s what Raw Photographic is all about.

We learned loads, came home with some fantastic images, and enjoyed great company along the way.

A perfect start to the year — roll on the next outing!