February 2023 No. 16
WELCOME TO OUR WINTER NEWSLETTER Happy New Year! I hope the year has started well for all of you and you have managed to get outside and start using some of the photography equipment you no doubt received for Christmas. I am not going to list the contents of this newsletter as there are loads of Visual Art members who have contributed to a very colourful and varied edition. I just hope you enjoy reading it. Please remember this is YOUR showcase - so if you would like to contribute an article or submit a panel for the rest of us to enjoy please let me know. In the meantime happy snapping! Carol Paes ARPS
LOST AND FOUND IN THE FOREST OF DEAN I was looking forward to the weekend away with our Visual Arty friends in Gloucester. Unusually, we had booked a workshop with Paul Gallagher, but Paul was unable to attend and Martin Addison stepped in to save the day with only a few day’s notice.
So a small group of cars set off to meet at a specific place in the forest and we gathered for a short talk before going off in different direction to find our images. I’m never at my most comfortable in a group of people taking photographs and I have no idea why! But I froze to the spot not knowing what to focus on or which direction to take. Hence the ‘Lost’ part of my title. Martin soon noticed I wasn’t doing much and came over to help. He showed me a few images he had taken on his mobile phone to try to see what sort of thing appealed to me. I was honest and told him they weren’t the type of images I was interested in taking and that what I did like were the dreamy, out of focus bluebells and ferns he had shown in his audio visuals the previous evening. He explained that they were taken with his LensBaby which was how he obtained the results that I liked so much. I told him I had brought mine with me too, in fact I had brought two, the 750 and the Composer.
We were quite happy to hear the news as Martin had led a workshop in Buxton which had been very popular. Martin was one the speakers on the Friday evening and his presentation was equally entertaining as the first time we had seen him speak. His choice of panels and audio visuals is just what appeals to me and gives variety to his delivery.
He then showed me the settings I should use and way he focused to get the beautiful images I loved. He also warned me I would have to spend most of the time lying on the ground, which didn’t daunt me as I was well prepared with my cagoule to throw down.