if you have a spare minute and want an underwater fix without getting wet, take a look at my latest creation  www.cathylewisphotography.com which was put together after much gnashing of teeth and a considerable amount of time pestering CSAC members for advice and information. The website was built using a programme called Rapidweaver http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/features/ which is a simplified version of Dreamweaver. Its drag-an-drop templates were easy enough for a technophobe like me to use, but it also has the option for nerdy html types to do some black magic trickery. The main limiting factor is that it’s only designed to work with the Mac OSX interface.

It’s great having a website at long last. I’ve been taking underwater photographs for over 10 years now, and it’s an opportunity to make my images accessible to everyone and to talk about some of the amazing places Chris and I have been, both with the club and on other holidays.

Clifton has quite a few video and photographic members – pretty talented ones too like Dan, Billy, Chris L, Chris S, Rick and Helen to name just a few. If you fancy taking up underwater photography as a hobby you don’t need to spend a fortune to get good photos. Compact cameras sometimes beat expensive digital SLR cameras in competitions, and are in fact better than DSLRs in some respects. Essentially it comes down to following a few basic rules (ie get close to your subject), practice and having a good eye for a shot. If you want to learn from other photographers in a friendly and relaxed environment, Bristol has one of the most successful underwater photography groups in the country, winning the majority of national competitions. Visit www.bupg.co.uk for info