NORTHERN NEWS ISSUE 15
JUNE 2020
Northern Diary RPS Webinar - 22nd June 2020
Focusing-the-Mind, not just the lens As a professional photographer, Mark Banks discusses the importance he places on photographic projects. Having a clear goal before setting out with your camera can really help you to return with more successful images more often to help you achieve your goal. Using examples from his own photographic projects, Mark will discuss his ideas and the thought processes behind them as well as discuss the importance of using post-processing techniques to deliver a cohesive message throughout. If you’re planning an exhibition, book, camera-club talk, RPS distinction or even just a personal project to occupy you through these strange times then join Mark on this 1.5 hour online webinar from the comfort of your own home to find out how he approaches the challenge of working towards a goal with a focused mind. If you haven’t yet booked onto this very popular webinar, you still have time. Bookings should be made through the RPS website.
Check out the RPS website for details of more on-line events
NORTHERN NEWS Greetings from
ISSUE 15 June 2020
John Devlin ARPS Regional Organiser
THE NORTHERN TEAM
Northern Region
Regional Organiser John Devlin ARPS northern@rps.org
Secretary Lyn Newton LRPS northernsecretary@rps.org Team Irene Berry Michael Curry Susan Devlin Kathleen Jobson Carmel Morris
NORTHERN NEWS INFORMATION ©2017 All rights reserved on behalf of the authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for such permission must be addressed to the Editor. The Royal Photographic Society, Northern Region and the Editor accept no liability for any misuse or breach of copyright by a contributor.
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the RPS or the Northern Region.
Editor: Lyn Newton LRPS northernsecretary@rps.org
Hi Folks ‘Well it’s a funny old game.’ Simple words immortalised by the legendary English footballer, Jimmy Greaves. But of course, the situation we find ourselves in these days is far from funny. The words lockdown, social distancing and front liners will be remembered for ever. So what’s this got to do with photography? Well, nothing in one sense but everything to all of us who have had to change tack in the way we practise our hobby. From ‘tabletop’ to ‘nature in your back garden’, reprocessing old images or finding ways to offer virtual events in an RPS programme. We’ve all had to adjust. Talking of adjustments, preserving our heritage is fundamental to our historic values. Being able to record these events can act both as an archive and to educate future generations. A case in point is the ongoing restoration project at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle which is being recorded by members of Whickham Camera Club and is featured here in our Newsletter. Graeme Clarke ARPS from our southern parts gives us an article relating to the RPS Nature Group’s 2019-2020 Exhibition. Graeme describes the process of submitting entries to the Group’s annual exhibition, in which he was very successful. Barbara Bogacka ARPS talks about her successful Associate panel in Fine Art and a trip to South East Iceland where the images of her glacial caves were taken. Barbara describes the trek, how the speed of the melting ice astonished her and what steps had to be overcome in capturing the light. Our first competition has been successful, and although it wasn’t the biggest of entries, I’m sure you’ll find them intriguing and inspiring. You can view all the wining images, including comments, both here and on the RPS webpage. Finally, a reminder of our up and coming webinar with Mark Banks on June 22nd. Mark, as many of you will know, is a respected landscape photographer in the region and has agreed to host this virtual event entitled Focusing-the -Mind, not just the lens. See the Diary Page for information on how to book. That’s about it for this round. Til’ next time…
John Devlin ARPS Northern Regional Organiser Well here I am, and this is it! As the Northern Region’s new RO, I thought I’d throw my neck on the block and hit you with a bunch of images of the photography I like to do, together with a quick (very quick) trip over my days behind a camera. Unlike my early years, back in the 1980’s, where I would shoot anything and everything, my interests have narrowed considerably to landscape (95 per cent) and documentary (the other five per cent). However, I do enjoy looking at all aspects and genres of our hobby. I fully appreciate and admire the aesthetics that many of you embrace in making a great image .
For me, things kicked off when my wife bought me a Canon AE1 and it wasn’t long before I was spending many hours under a red safelight with stained fingers smelling of fixer for days on end. I had become a darkroom junkie! Those darkroom sessions ended with me emptying the waste bin of test strips and failed images. Working in Jessops for three and a half years in the late Eighties taught me much about the industry and my hobby. Added to that, I joined a local camera club and the rest, as they say, is history – or in my case it wasn’t. I wanted more.
I wanted better equipment, better reading material (no YouTube vlogs or internet back then) and a better knowledge base. O and A level night school courses helped, but I wasn’t wholly interested in the history of photography which these courses pushed. I wanted to be a photographer – I wanted to shoot weddings, commercial work, portraits and boudoir. I ran landscape and studio workshops, wrote articles for magazines, lodged images into photo libraries and shot dogs – not literally I might add…! Oh, and I forgot to mention, had exhibitions.
Then I gave it all up. Why? Well that’s a big question with a simple answer – I lost my hobby! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the ride and I met some fantastic people in all walks of life. I was given access to places the ordinary person on the street would never get and shook hands with the world. I felt liberated, free. Free to photograph what I wanted. Make money!!! And so, it happened.
Fast forward to now. My wife Susan and I went to Newcastle just before Christmas last year with some close friends, to sample the holiday atmosphere and hopefully capture some images. Because of a shoulder injury, I didn’t take a camera. But I did have my phone which helped me blend with the crowds and take images the way they did. Wow, now that was liberating! These days I run the odd workshop, which I really should do more of, as I enjoy helping others get better pictures. I’m still involved in camera clubs and enjoy immensely giving talks to clubs and groups. It also satisfies my needs and reminds me of the days I started out with my Canon AE1 where I would shoot anything and everything. .
The RPS Nature Group Exhibition 2019 and 2020 Graeme Clarke I have had a great interest in both natural history and photography since boyhood. Then I used a +3 lens with a metal focus frame on a rangefinder camera to get close up! Since retirement I have been able to spend more time photographing natural things, now with a digital camera using manual and autofocus lenses. I joined the RPS and gained the LRPS in 2010. I have always been fascinated by the mystique of fungi. Photographing them often means getting down low! I use a silver/gold reflector to Illuminate them. In 2018 I was awarded the ARPS distinction for a panel of fungi prints and joined the RPS Nature Group afterwards. The Nature Group is one of the largest and most active of RPS groups with currently 29 members in the Northern Region. The Group willingly shares members’ knowledge of both natural history and photography through The Iris, its quarterly publication, an e-newsletter, and an annual exhibition. The exhibition is displayed in the Midlands and other venues including Edinburgh and East Anglia. Successful images are published in the RPS journal, The Iris, and are available on a CD for clubs. The exhibition has four categories in prints and digital images. Both are subdivided into animals and plants, and include geology, microscopy and patterns in nature. Members may submit up to four images in each category. As a general rule, images have to convey the truth the author saw. Minor manipulation and focus stacking are allowed. Titles use English names where possible. Cute titles are frowned upon!
Red Squirrel - Leica SL, 90-280 at 275mm, ISO 800, 1/5s f4.5
Cheetah - Leica SL, 90-280mm at 280mm, ISO 250, 1/500s f4.5
Three highly qualified selectors choose approximately 120 prints and 30% of the digital entries for the exhibition. They award a trophy for the best overall image, gold and bronze medals, and certificates for their choice and those they highly commend. With exposure and focus being technically perfect, the most successful images are often of living things in their habitat or show aspects of behaviour. I entered sixteen images both in 2019 and 2020 and have been honoured with some success! Seven were chosen for exhibition in 2019 and six this year. My photographs of fungi have been well regarded. Bleeding Fairy Helmet was a selector’s choice and Shaggy Parasol highly commended in 2019. Velvet Shank was highly commended this year. Selectors chose telephoto images showing mammals’ behaviour and some revealing details using macro and extreme macro techniques for the exhibitions. Graeme Clarke ARPS is a member of the Gallery Photogroup, a judge and lecturer for the PAGB, the Northern Counties Photographic Federation and the North Yorkshire and South Durham Photographic Association. Originally from Newcastle, he now lives near Stockton on Tees.
Umbrella Liverwort—Leica CL, 18-55mm+4x microscope lens, ISO 400 12/4s f16
Highly Commended - Velvet Shank - Leica SL, 24-90mm at 82mm, ISO 100, 2s f20
Highly Commended—Shaggy Parasol - Leica SL 24-90mm at 34mm, ISO 100, 10s f22
Selector’s Choice - Bleeding Fairy Helmet - Leica DMR, 100mm macro, ISO 100, 2s f22
Alan Wilson AFIAP, ARPS tells us about Whickham Photographic Club’s very interesting partnership with Saint Nicholas Cathedral
As Secretary to Whickham Photographic Club, most correspondence comes to me. Much is routine but one query really aroused interest. In March 2018 the PLB consultancy contacted us on behalf of St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle and introduced us to a term new to us – CGiSS – which stands for “Common Ground in Sacred Space”. The CGiSS project aims to reinvigorate the Cathedral by inviting groups, schools and individuals into an inspiring, welcoming, safe space that is free to use. They were keen to welcome more and diverse visitors to make use of this unique space, not just as a place of worship, but as a focal point for community activity. Part of the plan involved removing the pews from the nave to make a flexible space in the heart of the Cathedral, thus creating an open, shared, multi-purpose area for diverse groups to use whilst sharing the space with worshippers and the general public. Well that was the introduction but – what next? The PLB felt this was an exciting opportunity for the Cathedral to engage with creative groups such as Whickham Photographic Club (WPC). Potentially, there could be unique opportunities including access to the Cathedral for photography or even exhibition space. Future plans, subject to finance, include remedial works to the fabric of this beautiful old building, repurposing of rooms, and bringing the visitor experience into the 21 st century. Main works include replacing the crumbling flooring, which would mean moving the ledger stones, (those marked stones with family details which were being worn away by footfall), replacing the heating system, remodeling the main entrance, creating new visitor facilities in the basement, and re-landscaping the South
Central aisle looking East - Brian Curry
Wow! What is there not to like – photo opportunities within our local Cathedral, when many such establishments discourage cameras. First steps: confirm with the Committee that we are willing and able to support this initiative. Assess the risks: this is our reputation – can we see the task through to the end and to a high standard? What about access - when/how/who? Not to mention health and safety during construction work, image ownership and image transfer. An initial group of seven members volunteered to form the basis of our Photography Group. Member Peter Strassheim became the main communications route. In November 2018 we began documenting the “before” stage. What a learning curve: lighting in this ancient building was challenging at best. Bright lights through the beautiful stained-glass windows versus dark shadows and unlit areas. The team learned new techniques using long exposure and multiple exposure to create some wonderful photographs. Though not banned, flash was frowned upon and, with such a huge space, not always successful.
North West from Pulpit showing regimental flags ©Kevin Morgan
As our WPC/CGiSS partnership grew, the opportunity came for us to do something different so in May 2019 our end of season annual exhibition was transported in its entirety to the Cathedral and was hosted in wonderful surroundings. Our images regularly appear in the Cathedral Parish Magazine and as funding decision day came closer (sponsored by the National Lottery) WPC wrote a letter of support outlining our commitment to provide our time to documenting the process.
Exhibition—Kath Dodds
So, our small band of photographers duly worked on recording the current status inside and out, documenting in various weather conditions and seasons. Other opportunities came to us, too, including climbing the Lantern Tower. Standing 197 feet tall and built in 1435 the tower is topped by a crenelated Scottish Crown and from the top provides a different perspective of the Newcastle/Gateshead skyline. This however is only the start, now lottery funds have been approved and a primary contractor is on site. Stay tuned for the next issue on our progress.
Roy Elwood FRPS, Kevin Morgan LRPS, Kathleen Dodds, Peter Strassheim, Alan Wilson ARPS
ICE AND LIGHT ARPS panel in Fine Art Photography (assessed on 19 June 2019) Barbara Bogacka Statement of Intent Glacial caves show climatic history. The ice at the bottom is hundreds of years old, compacted and black, often opaque; the upper layers are lighter, more transparent. The flickering light reflections make the dark caves alive and mysterious. We can see air bubbles, stones, volcanic ash caught in the ice. Faces, plants, animals, ghosts and other creatures are all around in shades of sapphire, changing colour and shape as the ambient light changes. I visited four caves of one of the glaciers in South-East Iceland. My project is an attempt to catch the richness in the pattern, shape, texture and colour of ice in the glacial caves. The ice and light together create an infinite number of images. Knowing that with the melting glaciers these caves will not last long, I wanted to capture their complexity and beauty by getting close to the ice.
Further Comments These pictures were taken in March 2018 and February 2019 in four glacial caves of Breiðamerkurjökull, one of the outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull in Iceland. In 2018 I visited two caves, one of which had completely disappeared by 2019, as this part of the glacier melted during the intervening year and the other one changed a lot. It was difficult to recognize the place when I went there in 2019 and visited some new caves. The speed of melting is astonishing. To get to these caves required walking for about one hour on a smooth part of the glacier with rather fewer crevasses. Still, extreme care was needed as there are moulins (holes), which may be covered by snow. Fortunately, local guides know the safe way. My trip in February 2019 was dedicated to the project of the distinction panel and I had four and a half days to visit various caves. Knowing that they can look totally different in different light conditions, I hoped to be able to catch a plethora of light effects on the ice. I called the panel “Ice and Light” as these two elements are creating a whole world of ever changing ephemeral images. This is partially due to the three-dimensionality of the caves’ walls and the directional light coming through various holes, big and small. In addition, the different ages of the glacier layers, and so their colour and structure, make the photographic experience very exciting. Unfortunately, we had storms during two days when the wind was so strong that it was very hard to walk and the road was closed. I had to concentrate very hard on my task during the remaining days to get enough material to choose from. I was trying to focus on abstract images, which not only show the complexity of the ice, but together in a panel give a feeling of a hidden past life there, as well as the present. The whole experience of witnessing the dynamism of the glaciers which are so powerful and so vulnerable at the same time was intense; it left me with strong emotions about the glaciers and global warming. This work on the distinction panel led me to think of a bigger project on glacial caves, to present them to a wider public. I went to the same place again at the end of February this year for six days to do more photography. No traces of the previous caves were left, but some new ones had appeared.
Northern Region Open Competition Comments by our judge Leo Palmer This photo of Budir Church and grave yard was taken on our first photography day in the tiny hamlet of Budir on the south coast of the Snaefellsness Peninsula of Iceland. The photo was taken as a 15-stitch image on my Nikon D810 in Raw at 11:22 hours on 9 February 2018. The crosses in the photo had lights on them which were lit. One problem was people walking in front of the camera when taking the images. As well as the Church and the church yard I wanted to show the full range of the mountains in the back ground. David Stephenson ARPS David received a copy of the Magnum Contact Sheets book as his prize.
First Budir Church and Graveyard by David Stephenson ARPS
‘A superb piece of landscape photography. The panoramic effect suits the image perfectly as does the central placing of the church. The tonal arrangement results in a genuine black and white picture, not just one with the colour removed which can be the curse of digital monochrome. Faultless technique from the seeing through the taking, making, and presenting stages. One to explore at length. A very worthy winner.’
Second Infinity Bridge by Robin Sinton ARPS
‘A high impact image very well captured. The Infinity Bridge over the river Tees at Stockton is at its best, in my opinion, under these lighting conditions. The simplicity of the colours produces a strong geometric composition. The vertical format is perfect for the balance of the image.’
Third Socially Distanced Baby by Alan Wilson ARPS
‘Photography is a visual art and in being so does not have rules, but it does have guidelines which can be followed or not as the case may be. One of the guidelines is the story telling element of the picture. Here we have an excellent example of strong story telling. Very much a personal piece of expression of life today under the lockdown. It does not need any explanation from me to communicate its message of forced separation. Good work from a thinking photographer.’
Highly Commended It is in my Eyes by Mike Berry ARPS
‘A genuine piece of photo travel photography that has captured a sense of the time and place and life being lived. Great work.’
Highly Commended Fast Food Break by David Trout LRPS
‘Excellent seeing and fast taking have combined to capture this picture. That story telling element has been at work again, laced with a massive slice of humour. Another of the guidelines of composition is balance. Balance of tones, shapes and colours which all go to producing attractively designed images. This picture has that in abundance.’
Highly Commended Fly on the Wall by Trevor Thurlow LRPS
‘Shades of the old master Brassai, the famous Hungarian–French photographer one of the forerunners of “candid” street photography. An outstanding piece of photography and close to gaining third position.’
Ponsonby Lane by Ade Gidney ARPS
Goldfinch under the spotlights by Mark Corpe LRPS
Electric Isolation by Anne Healey
Snowdonia by Alec Jones LRPS
Keep Tight Hold by Brian Swales LRPS
On a lockdown walk by John Stephenson LRPS
Beach Hut and Kite Surfer by Paul Cayton
Grasses by Sue Devlin LRPS
Subway Concerto by Ed Forster ARPS
Millau by Jeremy Griffiths LRPS
Cracking Up by Jane Morris Abson LRPS, CPAGB, AFIAP
LOCKDOWN Corner of my studio by Geoffrey Bradford ARPS
Jackdaw by Gordon Hartill
Swam Neck Thyme Moss by Graeme Clarke ARPS
Male Pheasant by Gloriana Morehead LRPS
Wood by David Saxton
Iris by Paula Davies FRPS
Hidden Anguish by Kathleen Jobson LRPS
Swans in a snowstorm by Margaret Whittaker LRPS
Arrows by Alan Bradley LRPS
Twice Infinity by Robert Norton
Delayed by John Dilworth
Lockdown flowers by Jim Horne
Good Vibrations by Alan Millin
Waiting by Irene Berry LRPS
Tyne Reflections by Paul Terry LRPS
Image0 by Joy Renwic
Seaside by Andrew Darling LRPS
Pensive by Carmel Morris ARPS
Lock-Down-Blues by Gerry Adcock ARPS
You’re Next by Tim Cossins