Capital Interest January 2016

2015 IN PICTURES

RPS LONDON MEMBERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE IMAGES OF 2015

DISTINCTION SUCCESSES

SUCCESSFUL PANELS FROM FRAN WALDING ARPS AND LYNDA BECKETT LRPS

CAPITAL INTEREST

© ANDY GOTTS

JANUARY 2016 / VOLUME 2 / NUMBER 1 / WW.RPS.ORG

‘I AM AN ORDINARY GUY DOING AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB’ ANDY GOTTS TALKS ABOUT LIFE AS A PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE FAMOUS SUCH AS ANGELA LANSBURY (ABOVE)

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JANUARY 2016

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 2, 3

RPS LONDON NEWS, RPS LONDON BOOKWORM CLUB

PAGE 4

LONDON, INTERVIEW - ANDY GOTTS

PAGE 10-17

PHOTOS OF 2015 - RPS LONDON MEMBERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE IMAGES OF 2015

PAGE 18-21

DISTINCTION SUCCESSES - FRAN WALDING ARPS AND LYNDA BECKETT LRPS

PAGE 22,23

JULIA-MARGARET CAMERON - AN EXHIBITION REVIEW

PAGE 24,25

DAVE’S DIARY - OBSESSION - NOT THE PERFUME

PAGE 26

USEFUL LINKS

RPS LONDON NEWS

CAPITAL EXPOSURE EXHIBITION - WOOLWICH

I m a g e © F r e d B a r r i n g t o n ARPS

The RPS London, Street exhibition at the Heritage Centre in Woolwich has been extended. The exhibition now runs until the morning of 16th Jan 2016. For more information click here.

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WILDLIFE AND LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY Advice from award-winning photographer Robert Cannis

RPS London is delighted that award-winning wildlife and landscape photographer, Robert Canis, has joined the London blogging team.

Each month, Robert will be telling us what’s happening in the natural world and how to get the best images.

Follow the London blogging team here.

DO YOU LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS? Join the RPS London Bookworm Club!

Do you like reading books about photography? Are you keen to discuss issues in photography? Then we would love you to join the RPS London bookworm club!

We meet once a month in the Crusting Pipe (Covent Garden) to talk about photography. No need to buy a book up front.

Just come along and join in the debate.

For more information email london@rps.org.

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Selfie with celebrity, Andy Gotts and Eddie Redmayne

ANDY GOTTS

THE NORFOLK-BORN, LONDON BASED PHOTOGRAPHER OF HOLLYWOOD ACTORS, INCLUDING ROBERT DE NIRO, JULIA ROBERTS AND BRAD PITT, TALKS TO CAPITAL INTEREST ABOUT CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

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THE INTERVIEW CI: How do you describe yourself?

AG: I usually say I’m like a young Ricky Gervais but funnier! Seriously though, I am an ordinary guy doing an extraordinary job. I don’t take a single day for granted and although I’m a photographer of celebrities, I am not a celebrity myself. I’m privileged.

CI: What does photography mean to you?

AG: I’m a real movie buff. All I ever wanted to do was to get close to movies and work in the movie industry so photography is a way to fulfil that dream. I’m a photographer of actors and I get to fulfil my dream of working with my heroes.

ALL IMAGES © ANDY GOTTS

Rhianna, Singer

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CI: What do you want to say with your photographs?

AG: Celebrity photography is a genre in its own right. It’s incredibly hard to get into now and I feel sorry for people who are trying to. Celebrity photos are massively retouched these days but my photos aren’t.

I’m trying to get an honest representation - almost a historic record of the person I am photographing. I always use plain backgrounds so I can focus on the facial study.

Angela Lansbury, Actress

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ALL IMAGES © ANDY GOTTS

ANDY GOTTS - THE INTERVIEW

Sting, Musician

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CI: How

do you get what¹s in your mind onto

the photograph in just the way you want?

AG: I always research my subjects. When I shot Morgan Freeman, for example, I wanted to create my own shot without mimicking or copying anyone else. It was the same with Clint Eastwood - I had the shot in my mind for years and I got it in the first shot of the sitting.

But often it is meeting the sitter in the middle - I start with my ideas and then they contribute in a way that I never could have expected.

It’s a lot harder to capture a portrait, a face, compared with a set piece or person in an environment. But I use black and white, or very limited colour, to focus the viewer so that their imagination has to do the work.

CI: What

do you think makes a memorable

photograph?

AG: It’s your initial reaction to the photo - a memorable photo captures you straightaway.

CI: How

do you get yourself inspired for a

photoshoot?

AG: My inspiration comes from the movies. I love old movies by Hitchcock and Lean and also I’m a big fan of art - Caravaggio is a favourite.

I don’t tend to look at other photographers’ work as I don’t want to be too influenced and mimic - I try to look at other mediums, although I love the work of Alvedon, Penn and Albert Watson. But I don’t want them to creep into my work.

CI: When

you are shooting, how much of it is

instinct vs planned?

AG: It’s a mix of both - I plan and research beforehand but it probably all changes after the first few shots. I think it’s about 40% planning and 60% instinct. Although I always say photography is 20% talent, 70% luck and 10% alcohol.

CI: Do

CI: What¹s been your most challenging assignment?

AG: My recent shoot of Dick van Dyke, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner took 4 years to arrange and the three men hadn’t spoken for about 50 years CI: What do you think the future looks like for photography and photographers?

AG: This is a bit of a double edged sword there used to be a few huge movie icons and an enormous audience of people looking at them, nowadays anyone and everyone is a celebrity but the audience is smaller and of course anyone with a couple of hundred pounds can buy a good camera.

This dilutes the credibility of the professional art of photography but at the same time it is fantastic because more people are involved in photography.

In the future no news event will not be photographed! The selfie is the new autograph! So it’s harder to make a living from photography - even at weddings now, at least 80% of guests have a camera with them, so it will be tough for some photographers, but I think social and documentary photography is becoming more popular.

So the future is looking rosy for digital photography - but bleak for the traditional darkroom, which is a real shame.

CI: Is there life outside photography for you?

AG: I’m a one man band. No agent, no PR, no management, no PA, no assistant, just me. So I have to do everything. Every day I’m planning, researching or organising shoots, so no there’s no life outside photography - except to drink Champagne of course!

you have any unfulfilled photographic

ambitions?

AG: No! I’m lucky that I’ve managed to do pretty much everything on my wish list.

Although I might like to photograph the Queen.

ANDY GOTTS - THE INTERVIEW 8

© ANDY GOTTS

David Walliams, Comedian

The National Portrait Gallery holds a selection of his photographs in their permanent collection and in 2009 Gotts was honoured with the presentation of the Fox Talbot Award.

In 2011 Gotts was conferred the degree Doctor of Arts by De Montfort University and he is a former President of the British Institute of Professional Photographers.

2012 saw Gotts appointed MBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours List Andy is noted for his excellent book ‘Degrees’, A coffee table volume and ex-hibitions inspired by the game, the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Current projects for 2015 includes BAFTA – ‘Behind The Mask’, the Monty Python reunion and ‘iCons’ for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. As well as a special project for Vivienne Westwood and her SAVE THE ARCTIC campaign.

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2015 IN PICTURES We asked RPS London members to share their favourite image of 2015 and what a wonderfully diverse array of images we’ve received from our talented membership.

Del Barrett ARPS “My favourite has to be this one of Geoff Nicholson (author of the novel Bleeding London) taken at the Bleeding London exhibition, as it represents the culmination of this amazing project.”

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Adrian McCarthy

Lorraine Grey LRPS

Barry Hoffman LRPS 11

David Barnes LRPS “At a student march in London in November the majority of marchers seemed to be students protesting about university fees. A small group dressed in black, faces covered were clearly on the march to cause trouble. They carried sticks and placards edged in metal. When violence broke out they were at the centre of the mayhem.”

Ilya Fisher “An image taken this summer at my local City Farm, Freightliners. I just love the weed in this creature’s mouth!”

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Dee Robinson ARPS Freedom Square, Soweto

Gareth Phillips Rainbow over tower london.jpg

Eric Richard 13

Jonathan Taylor “Eventually chose this one as it’s one of this year’s mysteries.

In August during draining of model boating pond at Hampstead Heath this 1970s Cortina emerged.

No-one knows how it got there or how long it had been under the water.

Possibly dumped by joyriders. I wonder if whoever pushed it in there was still around to see it emerge?”

Jen Pedler 14

Paul Bather ARPS

Mo Connelly 15

Roger Kelly “This is probably my favourite of the year. The Thames played a significant part in my personal London photographic project during 2015 and I could often be seen wandering the shoreline at low tide for something interesting to shoot.

This merry band of musicians were warming up their act on a cold March afternoon, probably readying themselves for the hectic south bank throng about to be unleashed during the coming months.”

Penny Dixie ARPS Obe at Woodberry Wetlands - “London Wildlife Trust is using a Suffolk Punch called Obe to help create an inner city nature reserve in Hackney. The new reserve called Woodberry Wetlands will open in Spring 2016.”

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Mike Roberts “I was travelling by bus from Morden to Raynes Park and I just Had To Get Off and grab some images. The light was just stunning.”

“At the Documentary Group’s Workshop on 1st November led by Gabrielle Motola, one of our challenges was to produce just three photographs.

This photograph was a “grab shot” but, to my mind, captured the relationship between the two women (one is clearly under instruction!) and I like the steam rising from the dumplings and the sketches on the wall behind, which give it a sense of place.”

Judy Hicks LRPS

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DISTINCTION SUCCESSES

ARPS PANEL FRAN WALDING ARPS

Fran Walding ARPS describes her journey from LRPS to ARPS Having achieved my LRPS Distinction in September 2014 I decided to try for the next level. I realised that the standard required for ‘A’ would be much higher than needed for ‘L’ but I have always liked to set myself challenges.

I love glass, in all it’s shapes and forms and love to spend time in the V&A glass display room with it’s wonderful examples of ancient glass and it’s modern displays using glass as an artists medium and I began to wonder if there was a way that I could possibly come up with a panel using glass that would be interesting and, hopefully eye-catching.

I had already taken a few pictures showing the optical illusion created by the interaction between glass and light and in the end I used this phenomenon as the basis of the whole panel.

Creating the images was great fun, as was putting the panel together and I finished it in far less time than I expected.

The only part I didn’t enjoy was the actual assessment day and that was only because I always find exams stressful and as welcoming and warm as the staff at Fenton House were, it was still, in my mind, an exam

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All Images © Fran Walding ARPS

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LRPS PANEL LYNDA BECKETT LRPS

Getting my ‘L’ panel sorted.

I’ve always had a camera. However it was less than five years ago I really started to use a stills camera as my preferred media. I’m a TV Producer who loves modern art. I did a post-grad at St Martin’s School of Art in Fine Art Film and TV, so I can paint and draw. My five years at art school didn’t go to waste. I know a good composition when I see one.

In March 2015 my husband subscribed me to the RPS, mainly because he thought I was just storing my photos on a hard-drive, rather than getting them out there. Joining the RPS prompted me to do a ten-week Open University photography course that runs in conjunction with the RPS. The OU course made me think about the technical side of photography and pushed me to get my head around it. I was challenged to go out and do some street photography and to fiddle with my ISO and F-stops. Before I had finished the course, I was hooked. I had decided I was going to go for my ‘L’ at the beginning of November 2015.

The members of The Cave, London RPS, and other friends saw my work and encouraged me to push forward. I then decided to go to an advisory day in London during the summer. I went to an ‘A’ panel day, just to see what other people were submitting. Will Cheung FRPS, one of the advisors on the day kindly agreed to have a look at the ‘L’ panel I was planning to submit. He quickly pointed me in the right direction. I finally read and re-read the requirements of the ‘L’ panel, then set to work honing my images, replacing, reshooting and re-editing images before sending them over to Will for another look.

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A friend, who in a previous life had been a gallery assistant, chose the final ten images for my panel. I needed someone to be more objective about the images than I could be.

At the end of October 2015 I went along to my ‘L’ advisory day. The advisors were great, very honest about the images that did and didn’t work. If the image wasn’t sharp or was peaked either black or white, it was out. They also gave advice on image size, mounting, and papers to print on.

That day was probably the most nerve-racking for me. If they had told me I was off target, I had just four days to turn it around before going to Bath for the final assessment. Fortunately I was on target.

November 4th 2015 was the big day. 10:30am came and the first panel was put up in front of the five judges and chairman. It passed. Great. So did the second, third and fourth. In fact the first eight passed. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Surely not everyone was going to pass. Then just before lunch, my panel was placed on the wall. Surprisingly, I was calm. No point panicking at this point. The seated judges finally rose and started towards individual images that caught their eye. At this point everything I thought was wrong with each of the images passed through my head. Finally the judges all sat down again. They wrote on their assessment sheets.

The chairman collected the sheets, gazed at them briefly and announced that I had passed.

Now I am thinking about subjects for the ‘A’.

All Images © Lynda Beckett LRPS 21

JULIA MARGARET CAMERON EXHIBITION REVIEW

By Adrian McCarthy

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Currently we are privileged to have two exhibitions (in the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum) showing the works of pioneering photographer Julia Margaret Cameron 1815 to 1879 and celebrating the bicentenary of her birth.

I was lucky enough to attend the Press Preview at the V&A and subsequently both exhibitions with the RPS Historical Group for a curator led viewing which was most interesting.

The exhibition in the V&A shows her early work and projects carried out in England before she moved back to Ceylon in 1875. The Science Museum is exhibiting mostly different pictures and those produced in India after she returned there.

The pioneering work done by Julia Margaret Cameron was considered controversial by some at the time, although others praised it for being energetic, artistic and experimental.

A lot of the pictures on display in the Science museum were originally bound into books, whereas in the V&A, most were purchased directly from Julia Margaret Cameron (although some have been acquired in more recent times).

A number of the photographs show the progression in learning that JMC went through and even some of her later photographs show evidence of the difficulties with working with the wet collodion process.

The two exhibitions give an insight into early photography.

I thoroughly enjoyed both of these exhibitions and would encourage readers to visit them.

All pictures reproduced here by Kind Permission of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Current Exhibitions: V&A: Julia Margaret Cameron until 21st February 2016 Science Museum: Julia Margaret Cameron: Influence and Intimacy until 28th March 2016 The Julia Margaret Cameron Exhibition at the V&A is supported by the Bern Schwartz Family Foundation.

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DAVE’S DIARY OBSESSION - NOT THE PERFUME Dave Harris LRPS

I arrived at the infinity pool for the first time.

Blue sky. Afternoon sun. Empty pool.

I was captivated - photographically speaking.

You all know what an infinity pool is? It’s something about no visible edge, so you can see to infinity.

Tosh of course. You bang your head if you swim beyond the edge.

But it’s a visual treat - and one that set my creative juices going (harder and harder, these days!)

I went straight back to the room to get my camera before someone jumped in and ruined the effect.

I had all sorts of Sunday newspaper travel section images in my head. Sunburned model with folded arms. Funky hat at an even funkier angle. Campari and Tonic by the side. Cocktail stick sticking out.

My first shots were the edge of the pool. There was a safety rail sticking up, so I used this as a focus

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point. My byword (36 pictures later) was simplicity. A double rail (? safety gone bonkers) added a darker focal point. On the third.

Clickety click.

How many pictures of a railing can you take? Lots, believe me. All the same really. Up a bit, down a bit, left, right, zoom in, zoom out.

Wait for a cloud or two. Repeat.

I’ll wait for someone to swim. Add a bit of human interest.

Another ‘roll’. Of my wife’s eyes.

I step back to capture some glint on the wall. In focus. Out of focus.

Back to the rail. Swimmer turns his head. Repeat. Whoops. Too late.

Wait. Repeat.

His head is turned the other way now. Is that better? Maybe. Repeat.

Man gets out.

Glint on wall, dark bit of railing on the third and no man. Don’t burn out the glint. Stop down 1/3rd. 2/3rd. Full stop. Repeat.

I gander at the screen at the back. They look ok. Not brilliant.

Certainly not winners. The light isn’t interesting enough.

I’ll come back tonight, around sunset.

Which I do. But all the deckchairs have been set up. The finity pool!

I suppose I could have gone and laid them all flat. But I like to work with what I’m given (ie. lazy).

I’ll use them to my advantage.

In. Out. Up. Down. Wait. Repeat. Things were different in the film era. You thought more (usually about how much the whole thing was costing!)

Light ok. But the pool doesn’t show its best side at sunset.

I’ll come back in the morning, around sunrise.

Which I do. Deckchairs still up. Sky ok. In. Out. Up. Down. Wait.

Repeat.

An early morning swimmer arrives....Repeat.

All holiday. Every evening. Every morning. I became obsessed. And I never got one really good shot.

Dave Harris LRPS, 21 December 2015

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ALL IMAGES © DAVE HARRIS LRPS

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