RPS Landscape Group Newsletter, March 2016

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 2

CONTENTS 01 Editorial

By Jim Souper ARPS, Newsletter Editor 02 Best of the blogs The RPS and the Royal Meteorological Society are running a joint competition to find the 2016 Weather Photographer of the Year. RPS Director-General provides his own top five tips to help you get some great photographs you can enter into the competition.

Š Mark Reeves

Editorial Welcome to the second Landscape Group newsletter, especially to those who have joined in the last month.

Group membership has now passed the 200 mark and continues to grow.

As membership grows, so will the demand for events - our first two, Chichester & West Wittering and Dedham Vale, are now both fully subscribed. With this in mind, the committee is now looking to the wider membership to organise informal field trips.

Š Jim Souper

04 What's On A selection of exhibitions and events, including both photography and other forms of art, of possible interest to group members.

If you know of a promising and photogenic location in your area, and you would be willing to host an informal session for other members of the Group, please get in touch with Paul Graber at paul.graber@ntlworld.com or on 07971 885905. Paul would be particularly interested in hearing from members in Scotland or the north of England, but all ideas are welcome.

04 Your Committee Who's who on the group's inaugural committee

Two events have been added this month. David Noton is the main speaker at the Travel Group's 'Springboard to Success' day on 16th April and on 15th October our group web editor, Mark Reeves, hosts a day at Liverpool and Crosby.

05 Events Details group events

There are two new features in this month's newsletter. In best of the blogs Dr Michael Pritchard's blog introducing the 2016 Weather Photographer of the Year competition is reproduced. Also included is a What's On section, offering a selection of exhibitions which may be of interest to members.

As ever, members are invited to contribute ideas or articles for the newsletter. For articles, please keep your copy to 500 words or less and include two or three images. Feel free to send a brief summary of your idea before committing to the full piece.

The next newsletter will be out during the first full week of April. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 30th March.

Please send them to landscape@rps.org.

Jim Souper

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 2

best of the blogs

How to take great weather photos The Royal Photographic Society and the Royal Meteorological Society are running a joint competition to find the 2016 Weather Photographer of the Year. Here the RPS's Director-General provides his top five tips to help you get some great photographs you can enter in to the competition.

You do not need a high-end camera to take great weather photographs! For many subjects your smartphone or a compact camera will be sufficient. But, for more difficult lighting conditions or particular situations a DSLR will give you more control over your images and allow you to use techniques that would not be available through a simpler camera.

Here are our top five tips to help you achieve some great weather shots: 1. Choose your subject This might be a great cloud formation, an approaching weather front, or a stunning sunrise. Or it might be a landscape or cityscape which shows the impact of a particular type of weather. In some cases you may be able to pre-plan your shot and choose a particular day or time to capture your subject; often you might simply be in the right place at the right time. Some preparation will is always helpful.

Check sunset and sunrise times and where East and West are. Also, have a look at a map to find features that might add interest to your shot.

2. Try and seek out something different or distinctive

Remember a great photograph is all about light and how you capture it in conjunction with the type of weather you are showing. A well-known landscape covered in snow will probably have been photographed many times, so try and find somewhere less obvious.

3. Provide scale Try to include a natural feature or a person or building to give the viewer an indication of scale. You can use these to emphasise the weather phenomena.

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 2

4. Don’t put yourself at risk Dramatic weather can make for a great photograph. But if you are outside in poor weather, particularly in remote areas, take care so you do not put yourself at risk. Dramatic weather, such as lightning, can be dangerous, with wind and rain and snow also creating hazardous and unpredictable conditions. Don’t forget that your camera equipment will also need protection, especially from water and sea spray!

5. Have your equipment ready Although your smartphone may be sufficient for your needs, if you are using a DSLR you may need more specialist equipment or accessories. A tripod is always worth carrying, especially when light levels are low.

You may choose to use a slow shutter speed to emphasise movement or to create a particular effect.

Particular photographic techniques may call for a neutral density (ND) filter so you can use slower speeds or a wider aperture; a polarising filter can remove reflections or deepen colours such a blue sky; a graduated filter may help balance light levels or darken the upper part of your image. Take them with you and take time to experiment.

Finally, once you get home, you can crop and process your images, which can often be useful to emphasise your subject.

Once you have captured your weather images go to www.weatherphoto.org, register and upload them. You can also view some of our favourite entries so far on the Royal Meteorological Society Instagram account. For the Weather Photographer of the Year competition, the entry conditions require you keep postprocessing to a minimum.

And remember if you take some better images you can always replace your earlier uploads right up to the closing date. Good luck!

Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS

Note The competition closing date is 26th May 2016. For more articles you can visit the group's blog page at http://www.rps.org/special-interest-groups/landscape/blogs

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 2

What's On

A selection of exhibitions & events which may be of interest to landscape group members

Photography

Art

Iceland, an Uneasy Calm An exhibition of Tim Rudman's black and white photograph's of Iceland at the Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock Abbey, near Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Continues till 10th July.

The Artist and the Sea An exhibition showing the many ways in which Scottish artists have been inspired by the sea.

City Art Centre, Edinburgh until 8th May.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 Showing at M Shed, Princess Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol until 10th April. On loan from the Natural History Museum.

Painting Norway: Nikolai Astrup "One of the most renowned Norwegian artists, Astrup's work transforms the rugged Norwegian landscape into a mythical, living entity."

Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21 until 15th May

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 Images from the latest competition showing at the Natural History Museum until 10th April.

Your Committee

Tim Parish LRPS Chair

Richard Ellis LRPS Treasurer

Karen Thurman LRPS Secretary

Mark Reeves LRPS Web Editor

Paul Graber LRPS Events Co-ordinator

Jim Souper ARPS Newsletter Editor

Pauline Benbrook LRPS Committee Member

Peter Douglas Jones ARPS Committee Member

For pen portraits of the committee go to http://www.rps.org/special-interest-groups/landscape/about/committee-members

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 2

EVENTS Springboard to Success Saturday 16th April

Runnymeade Hotel, Egham, Surrey The Travel Group is holding a special one-day event in the London area on 16th April at which the internationally renowned Travel and Landscape Photographer David Noton will be the main speaker.

The event is open to all RPS Members and Guests at £25. The price includes attendance at all sessions, morning coffee, lunchtime buffet and afternoon tea.

Tilt/Shift Lens Workshop Saturday 7th May, 9:30 - 4:30 At the Anglian Water Bird Watching Centre, Rutland Water.

The workshop will cover a short amount of basic theory and then concentrate on the practical use of the lens movements to enhance landscape photographs, initially in the classroom and then out on location around Rutland Water.

The workshop will have a maximum group size of 12, with 2 instructors and you don’t need your own lens to attend.

Leather & Sheep's Tor from Sharpitor © Tim Parish

Gower Peninsular Weekend Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th June

A weekend exploring the Gower Peninsula, one of the first places designated 'An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' under the Act of 1949. The Gower is both beautiful and unspoilt, with many historic features located over an area that measures just sixteen miles by seven miles wide.

For further details and booking contact Peter Douglas-Jones via peter@douglas-jones.biz.

For further details of all Landscape Group events please visit the group's event page at

http://www.rps.org/special-interest-groups/landscape/events

Liverpool and Crosby Field Trip Saturday 15th October Spend the morning photographing the blend of magnificent Georgian, Victorian, neo-classical and striking modern architectural styles in and around the city centre. Then, weather permitting, relocate (by car or easy public transport) to visit Anthony Gormley's renowned Another Place, an installation of 100 life-sized statues at Crosby Beach.

Long Exposure Coastal Exploration Sunday 4th Dec., 10:00am - Sunset Shoreham and Brighton

Meet at the car park on Shoreham Old Fort Rd, BN43 5HL The day will start at Shoreham harbour, making images of the harbour structures and the harbour wall. After two hours the group will drive along to Shoreham beach and make images of the posts and breakwaters as well as break for lunch. The day will finish on Brighton beach with the opportunity to photograph the old west pier at sunset.

Participants: Max 8 to attend.

Please email Richard Ellis sre868@gmail.com Cost: RPS Landscape SIG member £0, RPS £5, Non-member £10 If you know of a promising and photogenic location in your area, and you would be willing to organise an informal session for other members of the Group, please get in touch with Paul Graber at paul.graber@ntlworld.com or on 07971 885905.

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 / VOL. 1 / NO. 2