Editor99

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

ISSUE No. 83. E D I T O R I A L OCTOBER 1996.

As Kevin Craske mentions, on page 10, as our newsletter is published quarterly, it is difficult to bring you completely up to date information. However, this time, due to being a bit late getting the copy together, and the Autumn Committee Meeting falling in between, I am able to bring club activities bang up to date.

Firstly, it was our great pleasure to award Colin Powell with a Life Membership, for the many years of fine service to the Club. Congratulations Colin and our best wishes for the future.

Kevin and Sandra did a fine job adding a coloured cover and stapling the completed newsletters together. The final print quality has also been improved by a new printing machine which they bought recently. It is hoped to keep to this new format, but as the stapling was added as an example of what could done, continuance will require extra payment per quarterly run, which the Executive Committee have now allowed for.

All the other improvements were gained without extra expense to the Club. This was due to allowing Sandra to include an advert for her Graphics business. However, we wish to continue improving the newsletter and further trials will try to introduce reasonable quality B&W prints. We are now at the very limit of what the Club`s present resources can cover and we are reluctant to consider increasing the annual subscription as experience has shown that you tend to loose a number of members and end up having the same amount of cash, but from fewer numbers. However the Executive Committee have decided that an increase of £2 on Annual subscription and to Family Membership, will take place from April 1997.

I have been very proud of how we have managed to get through the recessions of the 70`s and 80`s, and keep our subscription to just £5. Which must surely be the lowest `Club` subscription around. Of course, this has been possible, mainly due to Club officials carrying out their duties without any sort of expenses. Executive Committee members travel many miles to the twice yearly meetings, at Worcester and the Annual AGM, at their own time and expense. As your Editor, I have tried to run the office as economically as possible, and today most of the newsletter`s copy is produced on my own computer and software with only the recent purchase of a Laser printer, going to the Club. The cost of printing the final newsletter is the most expensive Club outgoings. If we had to rely just on the Subscriptions, it wouldn`t cover the costs, or at least leave little for other expenses. Further expenses are mainly covered Via the profits from Film & Chemical Sales and from regular paying adverts. The Club`s Library and Slide Folio also require reasonable financial support. So ltogether, WE really do work a mini-miracle, keeping the Club solvent. No commercial business could offer you the low prices for factory-fresh Konicachrome film or allow you to purchase the small amounts of raw chemicals as the Club does and the new subscription rise still offers excellent value, along with the working E6 formulae and information gained from the quarterly newsletters. I have been reading numerous PAGB Club Newsletters lately, and while they are of excellent quality, few give the dedicated information to home processing as your newsletter does.

Another change is to the reduced subscription when a new member joins during September and only payed £2.50 on the following April. From 1997 new members will pay the full £7 subscription but will be given a `voucher` for a £3 re-newal subscription, the following April. This still represents a fair saving over the eighteen months initial membership.Added interest to club activities we have recently `opened` the Club`s interest to cover Colour & B&W negative printing, which has proved worthwhile, as it has helped to increase communications, and bring welcome copy to the newsletters. Membership to the PAGB has also opened many new avenues of interest. As regards, Colour Reversal, we appear to be suffering from our `own` success, in that we have produced such a successful working E6 Formulae, and solved virtually all of the problems involved, that members now have little to talk or write on the issue. New members get all the information they require via the Club`s Handbook, and need only search through back numbers of the Newsletters, to gain enough experience to work successfully, on their own. This leaves the quarterly Newsletter, as the main source of communications.

To make the Newsletter of greater interest and improve the quality we really do need to spend a bit more to keep up with the continuous changes that keep opening up to us with the use of computers and printing work. Colour Reversal work will always be the Club`s main interest and I shall endeavour to keep a fair balance of copy in the newsletters.

This of course, depends on yourselves, by keeping me informed on what you are doing. If you have any articles on your methods of working, or have built or designed any useful pieces of equipment that make your hobby more interesting and easy to carry out, these will always take first preference. It is also intended to purchase projection equipment for Club use and which any `AREA` may use for organised meetings.

Those of you who attended the Meeting at Repton will know how seriously these issue were covered. Many of you know and understand the situation. However I would ask you to please, take a few moments to drop me a line. I would like to know your views... would you drop out of the Club because of the £2.00 rise? Are you one of the new members who would drop out after just one season, and why? Have you any suggestions on how we can improve things. There are very few, if any, Clubs such as the CRC around these days, and especially with such low subscriptions. It would be a great loss if the Club was to fade into history, as have many of our older traditions. Many because they threw the `baby`out with the bath water, leaving nothing in their place. Many turned their backs on new technology, whereas, I believe you have to take full advantage of it and make it work for you. After all, a computer is only a `tool` and should be used, not feared. Computer technology and digital imaging, used in the right context, can increase quality, and make the work load much easier and satisfying (read Rita Pearle`s comments on page 12). If we work together the Club will continue and progress, but as with all things in life, you have to put a little effort in, to get the best out of it. The Club has gone through many changes and challenges, and has come though them all, but it does look as if a new `threat` has crept in (Lethargy!). Your Executive Committee and Co-ordinators will do everything to counter-act this threat, but we DO need YOUR assistance, be it simply offering suggestions, or from direct help. It is up to you. I will look forward to hearing what you have to say, and assure you that everything will be taken into consideration and discussed fully via the Executive Committee and reported back to you.

IMPORTANT CHANGES

As no-one came forward to fill the Club`s "Secretary" position, to save the Club having no-one at the `helm`, Pete Guy has resigned as Chairman and taken on as Secretary, while Kevin Craske has kindly taken on as Chairman, which brings the CRC Committee back up to full quota. Because of all the changes of late, it was decided to do a re-print of the whole CRC Executive Committee list, in the same format as when we published the recent corrections to page 25 of the Handbook. Likewise all you need do is `paste` this page onto page two and you will have the correct information to hand.

C.R.C. SLIDE FOLIO

The Slide Folio is probably one of the more satisfying club activities, after slide processing. I`m surprised more of you don`t join. It couldn`t be simpler! Folio Secretary, Glyn Willicombe will send you six comment sheets. Select six slides (no fixed subject). On the slide frame write a "title" and your name. On the Comment Sheets give details of Film, Camera and picture details, then post the slides and `sheets` to Glyn.

On viewing a folio, write comments of each slide. Slides need not be of the highest quality and may be used to create discussion. Comments should always be of a friendly and constructive nature. On a seperate sheet give each slide a mark out of `10`, according to picture and processing quality, then post that directly to Glyn who will detail the three `best` slides, in the next folio. A note book is included for adding personal comments. Finally, post the folio to the next folio member. Folios are circulated twice therefore you will always receive two folios, so that you can read comments made after you have sent yours on. Slides are returned after the second circuit is completed. See the Folio advert on page 15. Glyn will be pleased to welcome you to the fold.