It might have been Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons who sang about “Oh, what a Night” back in 1963, but it felt like December, 1963 all over again when the star performer, Sean Corlett, was introduced by our Acting President, Jeremy, and then proceeded to give his presentation to members of the Society towards the end of October, 2026! Sean transported us all on his own personal photographic journey into the genre as he entertained us all on his developing interest on a range of topics.
Sean charmed his entranced audience with dynamic images on a wide variety of subjects in his talk, which he titled ‘From Bikes to Bugs’. His sport photography which ranged from stunning images taken using his accreditation by Government in and around the TT, to Jurby Airfield and the Southern 100 courses and also shots of the famous Red Arrows flying over Douglas. Though Sean had gained privileged access to ‘prohibited’ areas, at times, we could only marvel at how he appeared to have secured eye contact with the speeding competitors in a variety of classes.
In the second half of a most interesting evening Sean left no stone unturned, quite literally, showing how he'd used his developing techniques in macro photography to capture images from his garden to the Tromode Dam and beyond. We were treated to great close-ups of natural history subjects, such as birds, bees, butterflies and aphids, to a variety of Sports, Urban Illuminations and scenic Landscapes, plus gruelling shots of participants in the annual Parish Walk and the End to End Walk.
Sean had also included many excellent Drone images in his presentation including fireworks over Douglas Bay and also a selection of images taken on cruise holidays in other parts of the world including the walled city of Lucca in Italy near Pisa and Florence.
The Society is extremely fortunate to have such proficient photographers, such as Sean, who are willing to share their expertise with the membership.
Thanking Sean for his excellent presentation, Jeremy reminded members that the deadline for submitting digital and mobile phone images and prints for the Open competition had been extended to 28th October 2026.
Our next meeting will be the first Open Competition to be judged by Life Member Andrew Barton at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 4th November at the St John Ambulance Headquarters, off Glencrutchery Road in Douglas.
By Antony Hamilton
