Online Talks
I am available for talks on the following topics:
Photographing Insects 1: Miniature Marvels - the diversity and behaviour of insects
​
Photographing Insects 2: The Art of Macro - insects & how to photograph them in the field
​
Flora 1 - flowers, other plants, and fungi in their natural habitat
​
Flora 2 - indoor flower photography with live processing demo
​
Seeing - the eye, how we perceive, how seeing evolved
Scapes 1 - rural, coastal & astrophotography
Scapes 2 - urban & creative
​
Abstract Photography - a look at abstract art and my abstract images
See below for details of each talk.
​
​
​
Talks last around 100 minutes, not including a break.
​
Payment
​
The fee is £95 for all in-person talks
Online talks: £75 for small clubs (fewer than 25 members), £95 for all other clubs
​
Please note I am no longer accepting cheques, due to a problem with a cheque not being credited to my account. Paypal or bank transfer are both accepted. Paypal - pay to tnorth67@hotmail.com
​
Bank transfer - Natwest personal account, name: AM North; Sort - 010197; Account: 25325213
Photographing Insects 1:
Miniature Marvels
This talk features a much broader range of insects than 'The Art of Macro' (see below). The focus is on the wide range of insects and their behaviours which can be found in natural settings, mainly in the UK but also abroad. This diversity provides a wonderful choice for the macro photographer shooting in the field. I cover the following topics:
​
1. What are insects, and how many of them are there?
2. Insect classification - with examples from 13 orders, including butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, bees & wasps, flies, true bugs, mantises, lacewings, grasshoppers, stic insects and mayflies
3. Variation - within and across species, and by gender
4. Insect evolution
5. Anatomy
6. Life cycle
7. Feeding and predation
8. Perception
9. Camouflage and mimicry
Throughout, the talk is lavishly illustrated with my finest macro and other images, including several which have won awards. Even if you aren't turned on by science or nature, there will be plenty to feast your eyes on!
​
Talks
Photographing Insects 2:
The Art of Macro
This talk is about my experience and knowledge of macro photography in the field, shooting insects. It covers my philosophy and approach to photography as an art. I will of course show lots of my best macro images, but the talk is about far more than a set of pretty pictures.
​
The topics covered are:
​
1. A brief introduction to me, my background and experience, and why I chose to focus on macro
2. The aims of my photography, in terms of style and purpose.
3. How to create beautiful macro photos. This is the main substance of the talk, and it covers 7 challenges in macro and how to overcome them:
​
i. Finding and getting close to the subject
ii. Depth of field
iii. Camera movement
iv. Subject movement
v. Shutter speed/light
vi. Composition/bokeh
vii. Post processing
​
If asked I can provide a free handout to anyone who is interested with a summary of all these tips, as well as details of my workshops. I will also be happy to take questions.
​
​
​
Flora
In this talk I share my best outdoor plant and fungi images. These include a wide variety of flowers as well as leaves, trees and grass, and plenty of fungi.
​
At the same time as showing a broad range of species, I cover many techniques and styles, explaining different approaches and the importance of several factors in this sort of photography.
​
Subjects and styles include:
​
i. the flowers, grasses, fungi and leaves which can be found outdoors at different times of year, and how to shoot them
ii. macro approaches, including focus stacking and soft focus
iii. the effects of light, colour, angle of view, composition, depth of field, and bokeh
iv. using equipment such as LED panels, reflectors, spray bottles, tripods, and clamps.
v. post processing to bring out the best in flowers and other subjects
​
My aim in this talk is to do two things - entertain and inspire you with a varied range of beautiful images, and provide ideas, tips and techniques for you to experiment and learn new photographic approaches.
​
See my floral photography here
​
​
​
Floral Creativity
This talk combines sharing of images with live demos of post processing.
​
1. For the first half hour of this talk I show my best indoor flower and leaf photos, including a number of creative images, and discuss my principles of indoor floral photography.
​
At the same time as showing a range of species, I cover many techniques and styles, explaining different approaches and the importance of several factors in this sort of photography.
​
Subjects, techniques and styles include: focus stacking, soft focus, the effects of light, colour, angle of view, composition, depth of field, and bokeh, using equipment such as a lightpad, reflector, LED panels, reflectors, spray bottles, tripods, and clamps, droplet refraction, motion blur, freezing in ice, reflection, using layers and compositing.
​
2. I then carry out a live demonstration of editing three images, using Lightroom, Photoshop and Topaz Denoise. At least two of these will be creative - i.e. composites with various elements and editing techniques applied to create something beyond a 'straight' flower shot. Techniques include focus stacking and constructing an image with layers and textures.
​
If desired, I can also give a critique on a number of your members' images, if you send them to me in advance.
​
See my floral photography here
​
​
Which of these figures is tallest? Shortest?
​
Seeing - the Eye and the Evolution of Vision
This is a talk with a difference. As photographers, our main sense is our sight, whether we are taking shots, processing them, or appreciating them. This talk focuses on our faculty of vision - how we see, and how this all important ability evolved. The topics covered are:
​
1. The human eye: its anatomy and function (this is the major part of the talk)
2. How the eye is similar to, and different from, a camera (including focusing, aperture and light detection and processing)
3. How the brain processes the signals from the retina leading to perception, with a look at several amazing optical illusions which shed light on this process
3. The variety of eye types in the animal kingdom
4. How and why seeing evolved, with a focus on colour vision, and a look at why most mammals do not have full colour vision, and yet we do
​
The presentation is richly illustrated with photos and graphics. There are also lots of activities you can take part in, to learn how the eye works and why various aspects of vision evolved.
​
I am confident that anyone with a camera will find this talk both fascinating and fun!
​
​
​
Scapes 1: Rural, Coastal & Astro
As well as macro I am passionate about landscapes. You can view my landscapes here and some of my award winning shots here.
​
In this talk I showcase the best of my more traditional landscapes and provide a few tips and techniques, especially for the more challenging genre of astrophotography. I also relate a few anecdotes about the locations and experiences of shooting the scenes.
​
I mention some of my inspirations, including my friend Kieran Metcalfe, who also has a talk on landscape photography.
​
In addition as we go along I will discuss what I see as the main challenges of landscape photography and how I overcome them. Overall though the focus is on entertaining and inspiring the viewer with plenty of good images rather than talking at length about each one.
​
The talk is structured as follows:
​
1. Introduction and gear used
2. Rural and coastal landscapes - from a variety of areas including the Peak District, Lake District, Yorkshire, Scotland, Snowdonia, and a few locations in Italy, La Palma and Greece.
3. Live demo of how I process images in Lightroom
4. Astrophotography - images of the Milky Way, including the image shown here which won Practical Photography magazine's Outdoor Photo of the Year, as well as my overall winner of IGPOTY 2023.
​
​
Scapes 2: Urban and Creative
In this talk I cover my cityscapes and other urban images, and also my creative work mainly involving multiple exposures. You can view my landscapes here and some of my award winning shots here.
​
As with Scapes 1 I share some tips and techniques, as well as anecdotes about the locations and experiences of shooting the scenes. I also mention some of my inspirations, including Sandra Bartocha and Pep Ventosa.
​
As we go along I will discuss some important themes in these genres of photography, such as when to convert to mono and when to go with colour. We will also look at when images benefit from the presence of people.
​
The talk is structured as follows:
​
1. Introduction and gear used
2. Urban landscapes, from locations including Manchester, London, Italy and India. Images include traditional cityscapes, night shots and light trails, and street photography.
3. Creative images - multiple exposures and ICM shots of the urban environment, some including people.
4. Live demo of how I create one of my urban creative images.
​
​
Abstract Photography
In this talk I look at abstract art and photography. The topics covered are:
​
1. What is abstract art? We look at a few examples from the history of art and photography, and try to arrive at a definition. I present my 7-point scale of abstraction, from purely figurative to purely abstract, showing examples of my own images to illustrate.
​
2. What is good abstract photography? We now consider some artistic principles important in good abstract photography, such as composition and colour harmonies.
​
3. How can we create good abstract photos? This is the main part of the talk in which I show examples of my own abstract images. I cover some of the many subjects, locations and techniques you can use to create abstract photos.
​
Finally I show some of my creative images - that is, images made using techniques such as multiple exposure, ICM (intentional camera movement) and collage. This includes the leaf collage shown here which came 3rd in the Abstract Views contest of International Garden Photographer of the Year 2021.
​
See my abstract photography here
​
​
Get in touch
My Background in Education
I am confident your members will enjoy the talk, because I have many years' experience in a variety of educational backgrounds. I have spent countless hours not only in teaching but in designing workshops, talks and activities to engage people - to ensure not only that they enjoy the talk but that they learn from it too.
1. BSc in Psychology, University of
Nottingham, 1st class, 1988
2. MEd, University of Manchester, 1994
3. MSc in Developmental Psychology,
Penn State University, 1997
4. Graduate assistant at Penn State,
including lecturing and academic
advising of undergrads
5. Graduate Minor in Educational
Theory, Penn State University, 1998
6. History teacher, 11-14 year olds,
Washington DC, 1999-2001
7. Time Trips history and science
workshops in primary schools,
2004-present
8. DSLR photography since 2016
Reviews of Talks
FLORA
​
'Hi Tony, what a fabulous talk again! So many positive comments from the members and the practical lesson was so helpful. I have been asked to book you again next season so will be in touch!'
- Angela Kershaw, Preston PS
​
'Thank you very much for coming along to Whaley Bridge to give us your talk on Macro Flora. It was very enjoyable and I was pleased to finally meet you in person. I found your bit on fungi particularly interesting and will get out soon to take advantage of the conditions. It's a shame that several of our members are on holiday at present so missed out, but those that did attend are full of praise. Here are a few of their comments on FB:
Brilliant presentation last night from Tony North on ‘Flora - Macro Photography’, very informative. Would love to see another of his talks.
I agree, his very quick demo of photo bracketing and stacking was enough perhaps for people to have a go or at least follow up with a YouTube demo for clarification.
I too very much enjoyed Tony's presentation and his images. Easy to grasp his techniques as he explained everything he does clearly and simply and will encourage us to have a go.'
- Helena Jones, High Peak PC
​
'That was an excellent evening - very many thanks. Just loved the detail and the colours in the images and your creativity. I was very interested to see an actual example of focus stacking live. That was brilliant. Your images are very worthy of the awards you have collected so far and no doubt there will be many more.'
- Frances Price, Ballynahinch CC
​
'A very welcome return visit by Tony who gave us an excellent evening with his talk on Flora. Framing the talk around months of the year to illustrate his approach to photographing ‘seasonal’ flora, including fungi and leaves, the techniques he uses to capture striking images, top tips on equipment and post-processing, made for a fascinating and informative evening. The meeting was very well-attended (even though there was a little football match on at the same time!)* so very many thanks to Tony, it was good to see him again.'
- Julia Wainwright, Harrow CC
*Euros 2020
​
'I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for your talk last evening. It was very well received by our members and I know you have inspired some who have not tried macro to ‘have a go’. Similarly others have said they were intrigued by the indoor possibilities and one was already searching the internet for a light pad!'
- Maggie Lawrence, Programme Secretary, Wareham CC
​
'Just a short note to say thanks for last nights talk, I really enjoyed it and found it inspirational. So much so I was just about to head to Fletcher Moss for a look see, when the heavens opened. You certainly gave me lots of food for thought. I know talking with a few of the other members, as we packed up, that they also enjoyed the talk.'
- John Colburn, Perogramme Secretary, Bramhall PS
​
'Thank you for your excellent talk on Tuesday, I am looking forward to trying out some ideas. I have received quite a few positive emails from members:
'Thank you so much for organising this talk. Very inspiring images and so much detail he goes into. So nice he actually talked about how to do things especially the focus stacking.'
'What an excellent presentation this evening.'
'Great presentation and talk this evening. '
'Very Interesting presentation, most enjoyable.'
'Really good evening. Look forward to hearing him again.'
- Kathie Bignell, Prog Sec, Worthing CC
​
​
FLORA 2
Feedback from the first presentation of this talk via Camversation on June 4th 2022
​
'Was a brilliant three hours, I loved the demo at the end on water refraction, have wanted to try this for ages, can’t wait for the next workshop.'
​
'Excellent presentation by someone who is obviously very experienced in this field of photography. As someone new to this genre of photography having the recording will be so beneficial.'
​
'This was a brilliant talk and a great concept which gave me tools to improve my flower photography.'
​
'This was a great morning of photography, theory and practical.'
​
'A very informative and inspirational workshop and certainly a great format for further events, so good to see all facets of his set up.'
​
Comments in the Zoom Chat (a small selection!)
'Wonderful event', 'a brilliant workshop', 'Really enjoyed this morning', 'Brilliant, thank you so much, really enjoyed it', 'An excellent morning', 'Fantastic Tony, a brilliant session', 'Excellent demo and images', 'An amazing session', 'Very interesting', 'Absolutely brilliant session loved it!', 'Fabulous morning', 'Really fascinating', 'Fantastic, very enjoyable', 'Plenty of great ideas to carry forward', 'Enjoyed this masterclass, Tony', 'Inspirational. Thank you...my brain is buzzing with ideas.'
​
​
ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY
​
'From all at the club we just wanted to say that it was such a great and thought provoking talk! Never have we had quite a response on our Members page and debated the topic of art / abstract and is it photography? Is it art? It certainly got people thinking outside of the box.
'Once again thank you so much for inspiring our members, they are looking forward to getting out and trying this.'
- Angela Kershaw, Preston PS
​
Thank you so much for your thought-provoking Zoom presentation on Creative Abstract Photography to HPS on Monday evening.
Your talk was well structured and paced, with a great choice of abstract art and photographs in the early sections to illustrate the points you made; your dialogue with and questions to the audience in the hall and at home were much appreciated. This led us nicely towards your own portfolio of stunning and inventive abstract photographs, a real treat visually. You gave our members a lot of inspiration to take some risks and experiment with their photographic techniques - and I'm sure some of them will.
- Mike Hudson, Programme Sec, Harrogate PS
​
'A thoroughly enjoyable evening Tony. I don't consider myself an abstract photographer, but the night flew by. Well done.'
'I've never understood or had an interest in abstract photography. However, having seen Tony's talk I have a different view on the subject. He presented it well and his own abstract images were very inspiring.'
'Really enjoyed the talk, was well structured and great images used.'
'Really enjoyed the 'scale' explanation (1-7) and seeing the progression through the same. I've dabbled with it, but not to the degree that Tony does. It has made me think about how we 'see' things in general.'
'I thoroughly enjoyed Tony's talk. It was well structured and well presented. It was fascinating to see how Tony uses his abstract images to make art-like canvases, inspired by some of the great abstract painters.'
'I really enjoyed the talk and have been out today taking images I may be able to use. Thank you for another inspiring talk.'
'I really enjoyed Tony's presentation of abstract images, including where to find inspiration for my own abstract images. It was a great evening and the time just flew by.'
'I thoroughly enjoyed Tony's talk. It was well structured and well presented. It was fascinating to see how Tony uses his abstract images to make art-like canvases, inspired by some of the great abstract painters.'
'An excellent evening from someone who really knows his stuff. I look forward to watching again. 10/10.'
'I'm looking for a theme for my photography and Tony's talk gave me just that. An enjoyable evening well spent.'
- Camversation members
​
​
SCAPES 1 - Rural, Coastal and Astro
'Thank you so very much for your presentation to Baglan Bay PS last night. Everyone was thoroughly absorbed by the quality of your images. We found your hints and tips on composition particularly useful - simplify, but not too much, and balance. We loved your award winning images especially the mono landscapes and the trees with reduced saturation which were my personal favourites.
'What made a great impression was your astrophotography, which very few of us have attempted. Such dedication really paid off as the images are superb.
'Our huge thanks to Tony for such a superb presentation - such wonderful way to end our season.'
- Susan Surridge, Baglan Bay PS
​
'That was a fantastic talk, I really enjoyed the presentation and format of it and of course your wonderful images.'
- Stuart Mayhew, Aperture Woolwich PS
​
​
​
SCAPES 2 - Urban and Creative
​
'We all thoroughly enjoyed your talk; the images were really fantastic and it was very interesting to see the same image in mono, colour and/or colour popped.'
- Chris Phillipson, Treasurer, Ross-on-Wye PS
​
'Thanks for a wonderful evening; just what we wanted. Your photography does you proud and I'm sure that Ross Club members wouldn't object to another booking in the future.'
- Gareth Nutt, Ross-on-Wye PS
​
'Tony that was absolutely brilliant! Super photos. I have the same equipment and cannot believe the quality you are getting.
'Everybody in the club really really enjoyed it. Thank you.'
- Ali Rees, Tenby
​
'A massive thank you for your lecture on Tuesday, I always wait a while to truly realise the impact, and I must say personally and based on feedback it had a real impact and inspired many.'
- Martin Barber, Chair, Bridgwater CC
​
'Tony certainly did showcase his varied and award-winning photography which included urban, and multiple exposure images. For me this was one our season’s best lectures, having found it quite different from all other speakers and very inspiring.'
- Newsletter, Bridgwater CC
​
'I really do love the photos you showed. It is funny, because if someone described your photos to me, I might have thought they were not my cup of tea, but I got real visual pleasure from them and that does not happen every day. Most enjoyable collection of photographs I have seen for a long time.'
- Jon Perry, Marlow CC
​
​
SCAPES (before I split the talk into two)
​
'Thank you very much for a well received and excellent talk. As you heard, it was well received by our members and we covered a lot of fabulous images and several subjects. The talk was very well presented and the opportunity to see live editing in the middle was very good to see. As I said earlier, in addition to your landscape images, I found your multiple exposure images very interesting and different to ones I’ve seen before. Your also shared your experiences, and gave valuable advice to members to help inspire them.'
- Gerald Sorenti, Prog Sec, Cheam CC
'The format of your lecture was well received by your audience. It was great to hear from someone who has created so many wonderful images without necessarily having all the top end gear. In addition, it was really helpful hearing about your photographic journey as well as providing some hints and tips throughout your lecture.
'I have received really positive feedback from the evening. In particular, having the small section where you demonstrated your post processing techniques made quite an impact. In addition, I did notice there was a good number of questions from the audience. Thank you for taking the time to answer these.
'There is no doubt you have definitely inspired our membership to think about multiple exposure photography. We have a creative competition on our syllabus and following your presentation I am sure there will be an increase in the number of entries, if not for that competition, then some of our other ones.
Hoping we can encourage you back to PCPC sometime in the future.'
- Fiona McFetridge, Secretary Paisley Colour PC
​
'Over all I thought it was excellent and well presented with plenty of excellent photos and advice. I thought it was well structured and welcomed the short introduction and description of his equipment. It was good to hear Tony tell us that he didn't use loads of expensive glass and cameras. I liked his down to earth, waffle free style and that he told us of photographers who'd inspired him. He showed many excellent landscape photographs and told us how and where they were taken and the importance of doing research and planning the shoot. He also told us of the useful apps he uses.
'I thought his coverage of Lightroom was about right and he explained the logic of his workflow well. Tony gave us good advice on simple and effective picture building all the way though. I'm glad he spilt the talk up into three sections of landscapes, astrophotography and urban/street photography as it gave it plenty of variety and inspiration that we could try. He encouraged us to experiment and gave us some starting points on using techniques like multiple exposers and ICM. If it was 2 hours of one theme, it may have got a bit of more of the same.
So I really enjoyed it and there isn't much I would change.'
-Peter Robinson, Crewe PS
​
'Thank you for last night's talk, I thoroughly enjoyed it and as I mentioned at the end I really didn’t expect to get that much content. I’ve already had a couple of emails from members saying how much they enjoyed it. As a keen landscape, macro and astrophotographer myself I enjoyed every part of the talk, and it was great seeing so many of the fantastic locations that I have also visited (Surprise View, Padley Gorge, Bamford and Curbar Edge, Afon Lloer (looking towards Tryfan), Dinorwic Quarry, Holme Fell to name a few.'
- Paul Hill, Crewe PS
​
​
SEEING
​
'Thank you very much indeed for your presentation last evening at Battle Photographic Society. I was keen for us to try this talk for just the reasons that you mentioned at the start - that we have all heard lots of talks on Macro photography and there are many different photographers giving talks on that subject - but no other talks I am aware of on the subject of last night's talk.'
For me the talk became more and more interesting as it went on, finding the matter of the advantages of being able to see colour- with your illustrations of the red berries - a fascinating eye opener that I hadn’t ever thought about before ! I felt that the thoughtful comments and questions at the end of your talk meant that the membership were equally pleased to have heard this talk on such an unusual subject for a camera club talk.'
- John Lethbridge, Battle PS
​
'Your talk last night was fascinating, a lot of fun and so knowledgeable.'
- Jon Perry, Marlow CC
​
'Many thanks for a really fascinating talk yesterday evening. Much appreciated.'
- Alun Morgan, Princes Risborough PS
​
'Thank you for last night's beautifully illustrated talk on “seeing”. I found it fascinating and I know that the other club members were of the same opinion. It has certainly inspired me to look into the subject a little further, particularly with regard to marine creatures.
I thought your talk was well presented and had great content.'
- Paul Laycock, Haddington CC Secretary
​
'I really enjoyed your talk last night. We try to have something a little different from a couple of speakers each season; as you say these are the ones that spark the interest. Evolution is fascinating and the brain and eye are so intricate, certainly food for thought.'
-Grace Hynd, Haddington CC
​
MORE REVIEWS
​
'thank you very much for your excellent talk yesterday. It was exactly what was needed with the right balance between top quality images and explanations of how they had been achieved. I'm not the first to say this so you must know your talk will be well received by camera clubs. Clearly macro involves a high level of knowledge and a high level of skill if one is to obtain the quality of images seen in your photos.'
-Richard Towell, Syllabus Secretary, Bolton Camera Club
​
'Hello Tony,
As the Membership Secretary at Bramhall Photographic Society, I’m sure I can speak for everyone who saw your superb presentation tonight. It was inspirational, such beauty and artistry in all your images. I also enjoyed the details you went through in explaining the process of producing these fabulous photographs. I do hope we have the opportunity of seeing more of your work sometime in another presentation. I did say I felt like throwing away my camera, knowing I could never produce work anything like yours! But no, I will persevere and concentrate on improving my own style.
Regards, Heather Carslake LRPS'
​
'Tony inspires any newcomer to macro photography, he delivers a dramatic original presentation of the exciting micro world all around us. His artistic imagery is accompanied by instruction and tells of a secret world of creation and composition. Highly recommended.'
- Christopher Davies, Chairman, Holmes Chapel Photographic Society
​
'Thank you very much for your talk last night and for showing us some gorgeous pictures. It was good of you as well to share with us some of the tricks of the trade in a very logical, interesting and informative way making the whole evening enjoyable for those at all levels of photography.
Thanks for preparing the handouts - very professional. I thought the inclusion of graphics to help with the understanding of the points you were making was a good idea and they were wonderfully quite straightforward to understand. I am sure you inspired many members to continue to try and perfect their macro photography.'
- Tony Renshaw, VP Huddersfield Photo Imaging Club
​
'I really enjoyed your visit to the Bramhall Photographic Society with your fascinating talk on macro photography. Thank you so much for all your information and fantastic photographs. It was a truly remarkable evening.'
-Carol Stansfield, Bramhall Photographic Society
​
'We were very grateful to Tony North for stepping in when our expected speaker had to cancel on Monday 23rd September. Tony presented us with an excellent, very interesting and informative talk on Macro Photography. He is an expert in this field and shared with us the do’s and don'ts involved, camera settings and lenses he uses, local sites he visits to obtain his competition entries, many of which have won him prizes. All present gained a greater understanding of macro photography and look forward to members trying it out and entering competitions.'
-Bramhall Photographic Society Facebook Page
​
'I really enjoyed your presentation to Bramhall Photographic Society. I could tell from the content and the delivery that a lot of thought and work had gone into it. I thought it was well structured and flowed well. The examples you chose backed up and reinforced your talking notes. Your passion for the subject was obvious and so your delivery had presence and authority and added to the enjoyment of the topic.
Again from a personal perspective I really enjoyed your talk. It has inspired me to get out and try out the skills you demonstrated, so really appreciate the handout, a very thoughtful addition.'
-John Colburn Bramhall Photographic Society
​
MACRO
​
'On behalf of all Dundee PS members I would like to thank you so much for your very inspiring talk last night. Thank you for sharing your wonderful images as well as explaining the details of how you achieve such fantastic images. Our members really enjoyed your presentation and felt it was one of the best talk this year. I am sure you have given the macro photography bug to a number of our members and we will be seeing much more macro photography from them in the future. I will certainly persevere with Photoshop stacking and try and track down some butterflies this summer. Thank you again for a really enjoyable and informative evening.'
- Jean Burhouse, Syllabus Secretary Dundee PS
​
'Hi Tony, thank you for your talk last night, even though our numbers were small the talk was very well received. Here is a sample of our member's comments:
"Great talk and on a subject we can all relate to from our experiences in lockdown."
"Even before I saw Keith's message, I was going to respond to last night's Zoom talk by Tony North on macro photography. I thought it was one of the best we have had for a long time. He had a set of excellent photographs with good and useful advice about the wildlife aspects, plus the practical and technical aspects of how to get such photographs. I thought it was pitched well to the group - just enough technical detail - and I would certainly be interested in one of his other talks that he mentioned last night."
"I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation. Very informative and helpful, I picked up quite a few tips & ideas for my own macro photography. Great photos with lots of detail in them and an explanation of how he took these photos." '
- Keith Armitage, Syllabus Secretary, Wallasey APS
​
'On behalf of everyone in my club I want to thank you for a superb evening last night. Your presentation more than met our expectations, and, judging by the feedback I have collated from our members it was a resounding success.
'You covered everything a photographer might need to know, from equipment, settings and fieldcraft. I have long been an admirer of your macro images and follow your progress with interest. May it continue! Here's a sample of the feedback I've received already:'
​
'I was most impressed with the images last night, Tony has mastered a skill which I certainly envy, as will most photographers who have dabbled in macro.'
'Amazing quality images and informative and that I don’t need to buy fancy macro flashes, just a bit of silver card.'
'Super speaker and some inspirational images last night. Tony epitomised getting out of photography what you are prepared to put into it. His research was first class and he put it over in a very honest and humble manner.'
'Excellent zoom presentation with Tony North. I learnt so much and am out looking for possible areas this morning. I can't recommend it enough.'
- Marilyn Roberts, Positive Image CC
​
'What can I say? Your talk last Tuesday can only be described as a Masterclass in ‘how to do macro photography'. There were so many light bulb moments that you could have lit up Blackpool Illuminations, and without exception, all our members really appreciated your openess and honesty with your information.'
- Melanie Rowe, Prog Sec, Nottingham & Notts PS
​
'Thank you for a brilliant presentation to us here at Stourbridge last night. Your images are just beautiful. Nature photography is hard anyway & when they transition into 'pictorial nature' - awesome. Also, thanks for sharing so openly how you achieve such spectacular results.'
- Alison Dean, Prog Sec Stourbridge PS
​
'Thanks a million for this evening Tony, very much enjoyed by all our members, and has inspired people to look closer at the wee things, and even better: has shown us how to plan to shoot, and how to actually capture their beauty, when many of us have found it so hard to do so, to date. I know that your tips will resound in my mind for years to come as I am walking through nature...'
- Elaine Butler, Palmerstown CC
​
'Hi Tony, I just wanted to send a note to thank you for your superb presentation last night. We had really positive feedback from our members who thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Not only are your images beautiful but the way you shared your set-up and techniques was really insightful and so interesting.
'I think everyone in the club, from beginners to our most experienced members, will have learnt much from you. We have a macro monthly competition coming up next season so hopefully many members will be able to put some of your tips into practice!'
- Christine Lowe, South Liverpool Camera Club
​
'Thanks very much for the wonderful talk on Wednesday! Very enjoyable with amazing photos, and I also liked your use of technical slides, in particular the one demonstrating depth of field in regard to the subject plane.
Here’s what people left on our Meetup event page:
“ Thanks so much for organising this. It was really interesting and informative and I will definitely be trying out the focus stacking.”
“Very good event, glad I joined. Well done all.”
“A very good presentation, beautiful photos and I really appreciated the technical tips. Looking forward to his landscape talk!”
“Wonderful images and very informative talk. Really enjoyable.”'
- Dion Hitchcock, Fun & Friendly Meetup Group
​
'What an informative and enlightening first class talk last night from such a modest no bull**** presenter. From my own practical experience of chasing butterflies around trying to master Macro I could understand and appreciate every point you made. There's a trick in every trade but I would never have thought of enticing
a butterfly on to a cut wild plant and then clamping it on to a stand to get the shot.
'I'd often wondered how those superb artistic images of insects were achieved without background clutter and clearly that method allows you to keep good distance between the subject and the background giving you good bokeh and at the same time allowing you to use a relatively narrow aperture of say F10 to maximise depth of field and keep the subject in focus.
'I thought your shots were superb and all achieved with a crop sensor (admittedly Nikon) but as you say hardly top of the range camera. I for one would love to hear you on another genre maybe Landscape and would certainly welcome you back. ----- total respect!'
- Mike Dyment, Hawarden PS
​
'Many thanks Tony for a very enjoyable and informative talk last night. A really good start to our macro module and some fabulous images.'
- Ray Derkacz, Witney Photo Group
​
'I just wanted to thank you for your presentation yesterday evening. It was interesting and very comprehensive and, as one of our members said afterwards, any questions she did have where answered by the end. Your images have set a high bar for us to aim at and given us an insight into how we go about achieving this.'
- Jan Wilding, Chester PS
​
'Wonderful talk – one of the best on macro – many thanks. It was very well structured and very clear and concise. Most enjoyable and very informative.'
- Peter Seaman, Chair, Hay CC
​
'Tony North’s photography was exceptional. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of his talk. Thank you for an inspirational evening.'
-Lin, Hay CC
'Tony, brilliant presentation, fantastic images. Personally, I liked the range of your talk which will have interested both beginners and more experienced photographers. Raising the problems and then providing practical suggestions on how to overcome them was very effective and well received. We had lots of good feedback over the phone at the end of your talk particularly on the quality of your photographic images. Great inspiration for budding macro photographers.'
- Stephen Mika, Chariman, Wantage CC
​
'Many thanks for last night's session. The feedback has been very positive on both the outstanding quality of the images and of your explanation of the technical aspects you use when preparing for a shoot. This was our club's first speaker Zoom session and you have set a high bar for others to follow.'
-Arthur David, Ashby CC
'Thank you so much for your very informative talk last night. The images of your butterflies in particular were really impressive and so beautiful. We really enjoyed looking at them and the bonus was your generous sharing of your techniques.
We loved your landscapes too. Good luck with the award [APOY] - you deserve to win!'
-Stella Bellem, Uckfield CC
​
'Hi Tony,
I must thank you for last night. As we pointed out, it was a record attendance for one of our Zoom meetings. We were all anticipating an enjoyable evening and we weren’t disappointed. The positive feed back I’ve been getting has been overwhelming.
Your talk provided something constructive for all of us, from our more experienced Macro workers who learned a few new wrinkles, (we never stop learning) to our novices who have been inspired to go out and try out your methods and advice for themselves and the Q&A afterwards was also most helpful, thanks for taking that extra time.
This is a talk we wouldn’t normally have been able to see as we are at opposite ends of the U.K. but Zoom made it possible and my, was it worthwhile. So a hearty thumbs up from all of us at Leighton Buzzard and I would urge anyone using the Zoom platform to book you for an evening. I know they’ll be more than satisfied, as we were.
- Mike Kitchingman. Chairman & programme coordinator, Leighton Buzzard Photographic Club
​
'...his talk was well prepared, easy to understand and beautifully illustrated' - see full write up here
- Sherborne Bradford Abbas Camera Club Website
​
'I'd like to say how much we all enjoyed your talk the other evening. Your images are stunning! It was a most interesting and informative talk; we can tell how much thought and attention to detail goes into composing your macro shots. I’m certainly going to watch the recording and jot down some of your useful tips – plenty of food for thought there. How you managed to get the beautiful atmospheric landscape images, up in Scotland, whilst Storm Dennis was raging all around, I do not know!'
- Heather Green, North Norfolk Photographic Society
​
'Thank you so much for the zoom presentation last night, it went extremely well and I think Jeremy said it all in his vote of thanks. The pictures were superb and the explanations clear and concise and very helpful for those of us who want to improve our macro skills.'
- Val Brierley, Dorchester CC
​
'Hi Tony, I sat in on your talk last night and wanted to thank you personally for your very enjoyable talk. Stunning images and packed full of information on all aspects of how you capture your photographs, which i found really interesting. Something that some guest speakers sometimes leave out!'
- Peter Downton, Dorchester CC
​
'Very many thanks for giving the club such an enjoyable and informative presentation. There have been some very good comments reaching me throughout the day from members which have included brilliant, excellent, a great evening and I feel I learnt a lot etc. Your images were stunning and it would be lovely to see more of your landscapes.
I have a feeling that Zoom is going to be with us for some time and the way your presentation came across has encouraged the more sceptical brethren to take part!'
- Bill Norman, Programme Secretary, Shaftesbury CC
​
'Many thanks for an excellent presentation last night. Stunning photography throughout.'
- David Lampard, Chairman, Shaftesbury CC
​
'What a great evening thanks to Tony North, South Manchester Camera Club. Watching Tony’s presentation via Zoom worked brilliantly as he took us through his approach, philosophy and technical expertise. Full of information, wonderful macro images, pictorial and creative – much food for thought. As a bonus, Tony shared some of his magnificent landscapes with us. An inspiring evening enjoyed by all.
Feedback from members has been extremely positive ... ‘enjoyed the talk and very much admired the work..‘ ‘most enjoyable and a subject I love...’ ‘Thanks for last night it went really well..’ ‘amazing what he has achieved in just 4 years..’ ‘great talk, well structured, plenty of info..’.
Many thanks to Tony for helping to make our first online talk a success.'
- Julia Wainwright, Harrow CC
​
'Hi Tony, just to say another thank you for last evening's super presentation. The Art of Macro - I think we all really enjoyed the art input into your philosophy of photography. The images you shared with us were gorgeous and give us all something to which to aspire. Thanks again for an enjoyable, interesting and inspiring talk.'
- Hilary Bailey, Amersham PS
​
​
Facebook comments by members of Watford CC
​
'I am just watching Tony North from Manchester delivering a macro talk via zoom to Watford CC. Great talk, great images, great presenter. 10/10 and dead jealous of his fantastic images.'
'Excellent presentation. Lovely images.'
'Good presentation, useful information.'
'Good clear style by the presenter and a cracking set of images.'
'Great images and tips on Macro.'
'Really enjoyable and his photos were very inspiring'
'Brilliant! Thoroughly enjoyable.'
'Tony is an excellent photographer and speaker, I really enjoyed the evening.'
'I really enjoyed that, fantastic photos, I’ll be out tomorrow having a look for insects.'
'Loved every image, stunning, thanks.'
'Fabulous photographer. I was in awe. Loved the landscape shots too'
'Excellent images & nice that he told us about how he gets them plus other hints & tips.'
'Brilliant macro images and the landscapes were simply mind blowing.'
'Best bit is he didn’t speak jargon and I could get everything he said. And the bonus of landscape images was great too.'
'Liked the honesty in how some of the shots were set up, and the references he gave to other photographers who inspire him.'
'Despite both genres not being my preferred type of photography, I thoroughly enjoyed it. His candid style was refreshing.'
'Fantastic photos and very informative and inspiring - loved the fact that there was a ‘how to section’ included'
'Great talk on Macro, think I may give it a try tomorrow.'
'Very enjoyable and inspiring images. I liked his friendly and informative style.'
'Where did that hour and a half go? Loved every minute. Great photos and the level of detail and explanations were right on the button.'