David Beatson, a new member of Inverness Camera Club, stepped in at short notice to present his landscape and wildlife photographs. It is always interesting to see the work of other club members and he certainly didn’t disappoint. His landscape images were stunning and showed the importance of rising early to catch the best light. They covered a range of locations in Scotland, often with his favourite dappled light.

In the second half we were treated to a variety of wildlife images. David moved to the area only 6 months ago but was quick to get to know his neighbours – pine martens and badgers. With hard work and determination, plus some tasty peanuts and mice, he has managed to produce some stunning images. His leaping pine marten photos were a definite highlight for me.

It was an evening of two halves and in the first half Lesley talked of her experiences in photographing the Tour de France. She showed some great action shots of the cyclists and told us of the preparation required to achieve such images.

After the tea break, Lesley returned to her specialist subject – macro photography of insects and spiders, along with her new found interest in bird photography. The quality of the images was outstanding. With pin sharp detail and nice diffuse backgrounds to make the subject stand out, it was clear why her images were so successful in competitions. Also obvious was the enthusiasm and knowledge Lesley has about her subjects, allowing her to achieve these fantastic images.

Unfortunately these images were too detailed and realistic for at least one arachnophobe in the audience who had to close her eyes for several minutes. But I’m even she had a most enjoyable evening.