RPS Landscape Group Newsletter, December 2018

NEWSLETTER January 2018/vol 3/ No 8

CONTENTS 1 2

Breaking Waves © Diana Wynn

See page 14

Editorial Welcome to the final newsletter of 2018.

First of all – a correction. Kevin Gibbin kindly wrote to me to point out that he was NOT the Author of the article on the Night Shoot at Portland. It was gracious of him to disclaim this article and I must apologise to Mark Reeves for this mistake.

The October edition carried seven reports from Field trips, which made very interesting reading, so keep writing in. There are more this month. Hopefully, these reports may encourage you to book on for next year and why not consider leading one to your favourite venue? All you need is a knowledge of a particular site(s) and Members will flock along to soak up that knowledge.

I’m trying something new this month. Your landscape committee want to increase transparency of their activities, and not have to wait until an announcement or the Annual General Meeting, at Malvern. The new page, ”Committee Activities” gives you a brief insight into some of our work. Let me know what you think, and if you find it helpful.

Meanwhile, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone, from the Landscape Group Committee.

Regards, Mick Rawcliffe, Newsletter Editor

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Editorial Northern Kenya, Simon Belcher 4 North Devon,Richard Ellis 6 Steve Hartley 8 Waterfalls workshop, Dave Whenham 10 Committee News 11 Chairman’s Chat 12 On Landscape Conference 14 Portland, Diana Wynn 16 The Landscape Photography workshop, Ingrid Popplewell 18 Westonbirt Arboretum, Margaret Beardsmore 20-22 Members’ Gallery Jennie Murcell,Robin Hudson and Keith Tomlinson 23 News 24/5 Events

Submissions The deadline for submissions to the next newsletter is Friday 8th February, 2019. Please note that it may be necessary to hold some submissions for a future newsletter.

If you have an idea for article, please send a brief synopsis of the purpose and content of the piece. Please submit your images as jpegs, sized to 72 dpi with 1200 pixels along the longest edge and borderless.

Please send all submissions by email NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Northern Kenya, a landscape Ancient and Modern.

By Simon Belcher FRPS I wanted to share some pictures from a safari we arranged with some friends into Northern Kenya this October. This area used to be known as the NFD, Northern Frontier District and has always been associated with wild country and wild tribes. We travelled in two vehicles which were well supplied with food, safe drinking water and a sat phone for emergencies; although the latter was superfluous since we had a mobile signal for most of the time. Our plan was to make our way to Lake Turkana, a large alkaline lake in the Gregory Rift of the Great Rift Valley, exploring the Mathews Range, the Indoto Mountains and Mt Niro on our way.

All images Š Simon Belcher FRPS Page 2

This area is a wonderful dichotomy of desert, mountain and lake which of course present some great photographic opportunities both landscape and anthropological.

One interesting and a little disturbing view was of a signpost which had been erected after tribal conflicts during the last elections (2017). This depicted raiders, hyenas and dead people with the sign reading: War: the Banquet of Hyenas. We want peace.

Respect Life. The sign was riddled with bullet holes!

We had two main camps on the way up, the first in the Mathews mountain range where we stayed in a place called Kitich. Here the altitude took us above the dry, semi-arid zone into a cooler, forested valley with a clear running stream. From here we drove to the South Horr valley past the Ndoto Mountains and just North of Mt Niro. These massifs are like islands in the desert landscape and the backdrop of mountain against desert is very photogenic. The second camp is called Koros and lies in the Koros valley on the side of Ol Donyo Mara, yet another desert mountain!

Our journey then took us on to Lake Turkana via the Lake Turkana Wind Power Station, a brand new development which provides 310MW of power to the Kenyan grid through 365 wind turbines. It does seem so incongruous to have been travelling through such wilderness to arrive in an area of ultra modern power development. However, we soon made our way through this and returned to the ancient and stark landscapes of Lake Turkana.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

We only had time for one night at the only village on the Lake, Loiyangalani, which had the luxury of cold beers and not much else! We could easily have benefitted from a longer time here to really make the most of this unique and stunning scenery, but sadly our time restraints had us retracing our steps to Koros and then back to Nairobi along the newly completed tarmac road which runs to the east of the mountain massifs and back to Nairobi.

(Two nights on the way back) Since I was travelling with friends and family, I did have to be aware of their needs and desires which will always slightly conflict with those of a photographer. I couldn’t just wait for the right light or walk up a mountainside to get a better angle. Many of these pictures were ‘snatched’ as we were travelling, and are what I call opportunistic shots. However I was able to get some shots which were more carefully planned.

Road to Barogoi

Peace Sign Mt Niro

Wind Turbines

Kitich Camp Camels Page 3

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

North Devon Coastal Shoot

Richard Ellis

Somewhere between 360 and 415 million years ago the rocks of Devon were laid down. Towards the end of this period movement in the earth folded and squeezed the rock to give the structures we see today off the North Devon coast. It is because of these events millions of years ago that North Devon is such a spectacular place for coastal photography.

The RPS landscape group ran two, one-day guided walks; firstly looking at the area just west of Ilfracombe and on the second day enjoying the delights of the Hartland area. Both areas have dramatic coastal rocks with leading lines of rock ledges coming into the foreshore.

The group produced a wide variety of images ranging from the slowing down of water to viewing footprints in the sand.

For a change of pace, we explored Brownsham woods enjoying the delights of the autumn colours and the fabulous ferns.

Photographically the two days were both testing exhilarating. The group had to contend with near cloudless skies which tends to make photographing the big landscape quite difficult. The tail end of an Atlantic storm brought some fabulous waves to the shore and with an offshore breeze, spray blowing off the top of the waves gave unexpected rainbows. As with every location it is in the end what you can make of it. I think the images below show the group rose to the challenge.

Coastal Swirl © Richard Ellis

Surfers © Paul Kirby Page 4

Human Tracks © Dianna Wynn NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

North Devon Coastal Shoot, continued

Wave Power © Diana Wynn

Wave Detail © Paul Kirby

Sea Detail © Ingrid Popplewell

Devon Coast © Ingrid Popplewell

Hartland Quay © Richard Ellis

Brownsham Woods © Sue Searle

Devon Coast © Jon Ride

Rockham © Sue Searle

Jagged Rocks © Jon Ride Page 5

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Here are some images from a couple of workshops I attended in September. The first was the Landscape Group guided day in the Cotswolds with Sarah Howard of Image Seen. The workshop was not very well attended but Sarah was a fantastic host and very willing to share her knowledge of the area and advice on composition, camera settings, etc. The second workshop was a couple of days on the Jurassic Coast with Ross Hoddinott & Mark Bauer form Dawn2Dusk. Again, a very well hosted event with adjustments to the plans as they read they weather runes.

Cotswolds - Reflections at Slaughter Mill Cotswolds - Late afternoon at Broadway Tower Dorset - Durdle Door at Sunset Dorset - Marker Post at Dawn Dorset - Kimmeridge Rockpools Dorset - Kinmmeridge Blue Hour All taken with Nikon D600 using Cokin P filter system and Benro Travel Angel tripod.

Nikon 24-84mm f3.5 or Sigma 12-24mm f4.5.

Cheers Steve Hartley LRPS Bath

All images Š Steve Hartley LRPS

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NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

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NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

No Filters Required What can I say about the weather on the first Sunday morning of December? Wet? Damp? Raining? All of them applied throughout the day, without a break. It’s easier to describe the day itself though - great company and a grand day out both spring immediately to mind.

There were eight of us including workshop leader Colin Jarvis and the first stop of the day was at Scaleber Force. As we donned waterproofs, grippers for our wellies and hoisted camera backpacks Colin gave us some timely advice on the terrain we were about to negotiate. Very steep, very slippery, especially as it was so wet. Those of us with dodgy knees were reassured that we should go at our own pace. This was a recurring theme during the day as Colin ensured everyone was aware of the potential hazards and how to negotiate them safely at each of our stops. He clearly knew each location very well and this knowledge and experience was key to the success of the day.

So, the short walk down to the river into which the Force thunders was very wet, very slippery and very steep but everyone made it down safely even if some did it more elegantly than others. One of our number made the observation that without the others in the group for moral, and at times actual, support they would probably never have made the descent. I’m probably in the same camp too if I’m being really honest!

Several of the group commented that they had never seen so much water at Scaleber and it was a truly awe inspiring sight as it thundered down and past us. With such a torrent of water extra care had to be taken when wading across the river and Colin personally escorted several of the group from one side of the river to the other as they went in search of different compositions. The other consideration with that force of water was keeping tripods still and I witnessed much “shuffling” of tripods as people sought to ensure stability for the camera.

When we had met at the start of the day Colin had suggested we leave some of the cars behind and take just two as parking was going to be an issue at each of our stops. He and Kevin therefore become chauffeurs for the day for which, once again I’d like to express my thanks. Indeed, mutual support and help was the keynote of the day and it was great to see people helping each other not just photographically but also practically as we’d seen at Scaleber.

Janet’s Foss was the second stop and the only location I’d previously visited. I had never seen the waterfall so full of water and Malham Beck was in full spate, something I’ve only ever seen once before. The pre-workshop advice to wear wellies was once again well received and whilst the fast moving water meant great care was needed there was a constant movement of people in and out of the water like kiddies at the seaside.

As he had at Scaleber, Colin moved around the group constantly offering practical support, pointing out compositional possibilities and answering any question posed. One of the group mentioned to me at dinner that they had received so much help that it had been almost like a one-toone at times. The mix of abilities amongst the group meant that Colin needed to quickly gauge and then offer appropriate help to each individual which he seemed to manage effortlessly.

An excellent Sunday lunch at the Craven Arms gave us the opportunity to dry out a little and enjoy the opportunity to chat in comfort. But with the light dwindling we had to forsake the warmth of the pub for the cars and our final destination at Thornton Force. Indeed, light levels hadn’t been great all day but the light was fading rapidly on our last walk. Once again everyone made the best of the conditions, encouraged and supported by Colin. With the amount of water spraying upwards and also falling from the sky it wasn’t a day for extended filter use but those low light levels were our friend on the day offering diffuse light and the opportunity for slower shutter speeds without using ND filters.

As someone who usually photographs on his own I rarely venture out in a group. Indeed, this was only my second outdoor workshop with the RPS but it won’t be the last. The conditions were indeed challenging but everyone approached it with enthusiasm and good humour. As Colin said to me later, photographing in those conditions is always tricky and waterfalls present their own difficulties in terms of access, slippery rocks and fast-flowing water but there were no accidents nor any damage to people or equipment which was testament to how well run the day was.

As I said right at the top of the page, it was a grand day out which can be summed up simply by “No Filters Required”.

Dave Whenham

Top of Thornton Force © Dave Whenham Page 8

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Phone snap of Colin Jarvis (back to camera) giving advice © Dave Whenham

Scaleber—Intimate Landscape © Dave Whenham Page 9

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Committee News In an attempt to increase transparency within the Landscape Group I am going to bring you ‘news’ of committee debate/decisions, as appropriate. This will hopefully keep you, as members, more up to date with decisions and events- rather than waiting for special announcements or the AGM. However, the Committee minutes only become authoritative when signed off by the Chair, so please read these notes within that framework. Ed. Landscape Group Committeee Meeting 26/11/18 New Members and leavers. Figures holding up for 2018 and leavers who responded confirmed that the reason for leaving was personal/work or lifestyle related – not issues dealt with by the Landscape Group..

AGM 2019. Discussion of the Treasurer’s report and figures prior to HQ scrutiny and approval. Full report to be submitted to the AGM for Member approval.

Committee elections. Paperwork completed for those members willing to stand for re-election. In line with the RPS policy of promoting women photographers, committee accepted the need for greater diversity on the committee and agreed to seek women nominations to fill two of the three ‘members without portfolio’ vacancies.

Events Manager’s report. Good news that a volunteer has been identified to help with workload. Agreed to split the role with professional events dealt with by Mark Reeves, and member led events dealt with by the other volunteer. Name to be announced and adopted at AGM. Secretary vacancy. Agree that work continue to find a replacement, and the Chair make a special plea at the AGM for someone to volunteer for this compulsory role.

Discussion of the need for monitoring standards of Workshops/Field trips in order to continue with value for money, and learning/ enjoyment for Members.

Venues for field trips for AGM attendees in hand and on target.

Newsletter Editor’s report. Discussion of Member reluctance to submit sufficient articles for newsletter, different frequencies of Newsletter/magazine, and possible confusion of which articles are appropriate for which publication. Agreed that the Magazine and Newsletter Editors meet to discuss the way forward and make recommendations to Committee. Also agreed that the need for the Blog, on the Group’s pages on the RPS website, was lessened by the regular publication of the magazine/newsletter.

Editor.

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Comments to landscapenews@rps.org

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Chairman’s Chat - December 2018 Firstly, a big thank you to all of you who responded to my call for articles – we were really delighted to receive your contributions. A number of members, who may not have been on a recent field trip/workshop, have said, “I do not know what to write about” - well here are some suggestions: You could write about an exhibition you visited your favourite photograph – either one you took or one taken by someone else. a photography or art book. Many of you will receive these over the festive period so having read it, please write a short review a guide to a location you have photographed either in the UK or abroad. A short description of what is there, the key points to bear in mind when photographing it and some of your images a piece of photographic equipment a project you have undertaken an RPS distinction panel an article with which you agreed or disagreed your views on a photographic topic e.g. “the print is the completion of the photographic process – discuss” The possibilities are limited only by your imagination so please give it some thought and then get writing.

Mick and Robert are waiting to receive your contribution for the Newsletter or Magazine.

It just remains for me to thank you all for your support of the Landscape Group throughout 2018 and I hope you have found the programme and publications interesting.

With very best wishes for Christmas and a happy and healthy 2019 Richard

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A Meeting of Minds: On Landscape Conference November 2018 Report by Ingrid Popplewell On Landscape held their third ‘Meeting of Minds’ conference in Penrith in November.

The conference aims to provide a forum for landscape photographers of all levels of experience to come together to share their work and ideas, from those with an international reputation to those for whom landscape photography is just an absorbing hobby.

It succeeds in being inclusive by offering every delegate the opportunity to exhibit an image of theirs alongside famous names such as Charlie Waite, Colin Prior and Jo Cornish. The gallery is the meeting place for tea and coffee breaks and there is plenty of time to view and review the pictures with friends and fellow photographers. There is also an invitation to all to attend the Saturday evening dinner and talk informally to the photographers giving the presentations.

Charlie Waite opened the conference. He is an exuberant speaker and spoke passionately about his desire to communicate the beauty of the landscape to the viewer though his work, at a level that could be understood by all. He showed some of his wonderful images and discussed how they had been made, stressing his obsessive attention to detail in the field. His upbeat approach, full of amusing anecdotes was entertaining and inspiring.

Sandra Bartocha followed. She is a German photographer with an international reputation. She talked briefly about her development as a photographer and it was clear she loved to experiment with different cameras and different subjects and techniques. She talked about self expression and creativity and how this had contributed to the development of her most recent project ‘Lys’, a homage to the North, where it is light for nearly twenty four hours a day in the summer and where the sun barely rises in the winter. Her beautiful presentation included still images, video and time lapse photography, set to music.

The afternoon experience was a total contrast, with Thomas Joshua Cooper talking about a project spanning over three decades. This was a very personal journey to the extremes of various landmasses projecting into the Atlantic basin. He captured only a single image at each location, with an 1898 Agfa field camera. His talk was about his personal journey and he continued to explore this with Paul Hill after the break. Paul Hill is a photography lecturer and academic who says “ landscape photography is just not about the land or photography”.

Theo Bosboom started the day on Sunday with a stunning presentation to illustrate his recently completed project and book ‘ Shaped by the Sea’. He explored the Atlantic coast of Norway, The Faroe Islands, The Outer Hebrides, Spain and Portugal and showed images ranging from large and impressively dramatic coastal scenery to beautiful abstracted detail of rock and sand on the beaches he visited.

His presentation included still images, video, time lapse and drone footage and was also set to music. Sandra Bartocha worked with him to edit his beautifully presented book.

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NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Paul Kenny has used the medium of photography in a less conventional way to produce wonderful pieces of art. He talked about his annual visit to the Applecross Peninsula in Scotland to a particular stone wall, and a particular round stone in it, salvaged from the beach a hundred years earlier. He photographed this time and time again over many years and this circle is still a central feature in his prints. He moved on to collecting sand, debris and seawater from various beaches and used a photographic plate to create an image as the water evaporated and salt crystals formed. He has moved on to use a scanner to produce colour images and his exhibition piece for the conference was a self constructed light box that made his picture into a beautiful piece of translucent sculpture Nicholas JR White is a young photographer who talked about his project Black Dots, photographing bothys of the UK and their visitors. He is now engaged in documenting the re-establishment of a national park in Rumania, again combining landscape and portrait photography, supported by an environmental bursary from the Royal Photographic Society. .

Colin Prior ended the conference, in conversation with Jo Cornish. He showed fabulous images of the Scottish mountains, for which he is so well known, and followed these with pictures made around the world, both portraits and landscapes. He has two current projects.

The first is called ‘Fragile’, borne out of his love of wild birds and his concern for their threatened habitat. The second records the dramatic mountains of the Karakoram in the Himalayas.

In his book Fragile, each double spread combines an exquisite picture of a wild bird egg with a picture of the environment where that bird would live, the two images beautifully complimenting each other. He shared a few of his awesome Karakoram images and showed a video of the extreme terrain he is having to navigate to achieve them.

The conference felt very inclusive throughout. It provided great variety: from discussion of instant phone photography to a project lasting over 30 years, from making pictures for the sheer joy of the landscape to making them on a personal physical and emotional journey. We saw photographers experimenting with new ideas and photographers using their work very specifically to highlight the fragility of the environment and to protect it. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and definitely inspirational experience.

Note from the Editor.

I’m grateful to Ingrid Popplewell for writing this review of the ‘On Landscape’ conference 2018.

Thanks for also due to Tim Parkin, On Landscape, for supplying images of the conference.

The next On Landscape Conference will be held on November 13-15, 2020 All images © On Landscape.

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Report from the field trip to the Isle of Portland in October by Diana Wynn In October I led a trip to Portland, promoted as an introduction to the Island. This was the first event I had hosted, so the fact that there were only two attendees in the end was a help. Steve, who had not ever been to Portland before and David, who had.

We met up in the Heights Motel, at the top of the Island, and after a brief introduction and plan for the day, and of course coffee, and a chance to take photographs overlooking Portland Harbour, full of dinghy training fleets, we set off. My plan was to tour around the area, starting with a trip down the East side, lunch at the Bill, and an afternoon return along the Western side. Our first stop was just South of Easton, the main town on the top of the Island, with a very wide main street, lined with grey Portland stone cottages.

From the car park here it is a short walk down, through an attractive archway, to a viewpoint beneath the Castle, at what was once a gun emplacement, but which is now a pleasant area, looking down into Church Ope Cove with it’s row of beach huts, each with a “patio” area in front, marked with rows of stone from the rock beach. After a few photographs we set off down the SW Coast Path towards the Cove, but before reaching the bottom we diverted right up a path which brought us to the ruins of a church, from which the Cove gets it’s name. Here there are grave stones from many centuries ago, and the whole area is overgrown and wild, but still accessible. Then it was back to the cars and progress down to Cheyne Weares.

This is a car park area which overlooks Weymouth Bay, with views over towards the Dorset coast all the way to St Aldhelm’s Head. It is also the place where you get the first glimpse of the top of the Lighthouse. From here a few years ago I had a chance to see a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins cruising past, but not on the day we were there!

Portland Lighthouse © Steve Jupp St George’s Church © Diana Wynn

Old man’s beard © Steve Jupp

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By now it was nearing lunch time, and I had planned a lunch stop at the Bill, at the excellent café, where the crab sandwiches are superb. Being a Saturday, and the weather being perfect for an Autumn day, it was very busy, but we were able to sit outside, and enjoyed a lovely lunch and chat.

Church Ope Cove © Diana Wynn

Boats and Huts © Steve Jupp

We spent quite a while at the Bill, with a walk along the path through the many beach huts and fisherman’s huts, overlooking the wave cut gullies, the crane in the past used to load the famous Portland stone onto ships, but now just used by the fishermen to launch and recover their small boats, and the Portland Race, where the currents meet from East to West, creating a rough area of sea, although it was not at it’s most spectacular while we were there. There were also of course, the obligatory photos of the lighthouse and to the West of this Pulpit Rock.

Owing to our car parking running out it was time to move on, and we continued our trip, this time turning West in Southwell, the most Southerly village on the Island. On past Weston, which in the past was predominantly naval married quarters when there was a naval base here, and on to St George’s Church. A wander round the grave yard here showed the result of the many shipwrecks around the Island in days gone by, and also includes a headstone proclaiming the grave contains the remains of someone who survived the sinking of the Titanic! The church is unique in having twin pulpits, but there was a meeting taking place so we were not able to see inside.

Finally, we stopped at the Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, where there are various lumps of the Portland stone carved into animals and various shapes. Then it was time to say goodbye to my two companions and head off home. They both said they had enjoyed the day, and they would be back in the future for a more in depth visit, so I feel the day was a success.

Breaking Waves © Diana Wynn

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The Landscape Photography Workshop by Ingrid Popplewell My interest in landscape photography comes from a love of wild landscapes, which started when I worked for six months in Kenya in 1987.

Kenya is a beautiful country with vast open plains, mountains and a stunning coastline as well as being well known for its amazing wildlife.

When I returned home, I sought out the wilder places of the UK, starting by walking in the Lake District, and then going on to trek in Europe, Morocco and Nepal. I always had a camera with me but was ultimately disappointed with my ability to capture any meaningful images of the beautiful landscapes I was walking through.

So I decided I needed help and attended my first workshop in Ullapool in January 2012 with Garry Brannigan and Digital Dawn.

There are obvious benefits of a photography workshop. The location research is all done for you, which makes for the best use of time.

You are taken to a landscape that lends itself to a special composition. The group leader will take into account important factors such as weather, time of year, time of sunset and sunrise, location aspect, wind speed, rain forecast and tide times and heights, and they will keep you safe.You may be in an iconic spot, much photographed or you may be somewhere entirely unfamiliar.

You receive technical help out in the field such as discussion about focal length, depth of field, focusing, choice of aperture and shutter speed and use of filters.

You also receive direction in composition. This should enable you to make some pictures with which you are happy, though of course this is a learning process and there will be the inevitable disappointments too.

Hopefully you can also expect evening reviews of images made on the course, so that you can use this learning experience to improve your work on the following day, both technically and by more thought about successful composition.

It is also an opportunity to see the images made by your fellow photographers and for the group to learn to assess an image and to feedback to each other in a constructive way. struggled to make pictures on my first workshop in Ullapool despite the beauty of the place: snowy mountains, lovely beaches, and the Dundonnell river freezing in front of my eyes.

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I watched as the other four more experienced photographers got busy with tripods and filters, setting up confidently and waiting when necessary for the perfect moment to press the shutter.

I hardly made a picture that pleased me all week but I watched and listened and kept trying and learned so much, both out in the field and during the evening reviews.

The most precious benefit of the workshop for me however, was a new outlook on landscape photography.

I had only thought about the representational image of the large landscape.

Instead I was amazed by some of the images made by the other photographers on the workshop and by the prints that Garry had brought along to illustrate his teaching.

I The quiet beauty of the images and the compositional and technical skills they demonstrated helped me see what I wanted to strive for.

I was also directed to the work of other photographers, that might help me or which I might enjoy, through books that Garry had brought along, and I felt my eyes opening and my previously narrow view widening.

The aim became to craft something individual that reflected my response to these beautiful wild places.

It is a challenge, with which I have had patient help over many workshops now.

I continue to attend: for the landscape, for the inspiration of fellow photographers, for the desire to improve my work, and for the fun of a holiday totally absorbed in something I really enjoy with likeminded people.

I thoroughly recommend the experience.

All images Š Ingrid Popplewell

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Impressions of Westonbirt Workshop by Margaret Beardsmore LRPS In Late September myself and 3 other RPS members attended the Creative Photography Workshop at Westonbirt Arboretum run by Image Seen Photography. The tutor was the excellent Andy Page.

We were advised to take a zoom lens and solid ND filters but not wide angle lenses or Grad filters. This did make me wonder what he was planning but I needn’t have worried, Andy knew what he was doing!

Westonbirt is a beautiful place but gets extremely busy during the main Autumn season (and also the entry fee increases!) The date we went meant there was Autumn colour in some of the trees but no crowds to get in the way.

First stop was to photography dead plants, and explore the use of back lighting with a wide aperture, trying to isolate the subject and make creative use of light, negative space and using different viewpoints. We moved on to a different part of the Arboretum to work with complimentary colours, use of distance and abstract photography.

Post Processing

The group spent a lot of time on ICM (Intentional Camera Movement). Andy encouraged us to ‘think outside the box’ and besides using up and down movement, also to use long exposures and move the camera at different stages of the exposure.

We also jiggled the camera either slowly or quickly and this made some very interesting photos. The idea was to provide truly abstract shapes but I preferred images the subject matter was still apparent.

Plants under your feet

Above/below Intentional Camera Movement

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Double Exposure

Both images ‘Dead plants wide aperture’

Plants under your feet

After a packed lunch we moved on to another area where we tried to shoot through the scene to provide depth and also to take photos of subjects we might otherwise not have considered, such as dead leaves beneath our feet. Also to consider the structure and shape of plants.

Above/below Intentional Camera Movement

Our final session was in-camera double exposure which for me was the only negative part of the day. This involves taking one image and then looking at live view on the back of the camera to position where the 2nd image is to go. My Canon camera would do this, but this feature was not available on all the cameras on the day. This meant it was difficult for some of the participants to take part, so we didn’t spend as much time on it as I would have liked.

I live in Staffordshire and didn’t fancy the long drive home at Friday teatime, so I stayed at the Bell Inn, Minchampton which is on the outskirts of Stroud. This was a lovely pub in the middle of a Common where there were kite-flyers, a golf course and freeroaming cows!

All images © Margaret Beardsmore LRPS

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Members' Gallery

Autumn New Forest SunriseŠ Jennie Murcell

Submission Guidelines Please send your Members' Images by email to landscapenews@rps.org.

Please submit your images as jpegs, sized to 72 dpi and with 1200 pixels along the longest edge.

It would also be helpful if you would provide a caption and a note of any RPS distinction that should be added to your credit for the image.

The deadline for the next newsletter is Saturday, 8th December 2018. Thank you!

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Members' Gallery Images taken at Hodge Close Quarry near Coniston, The Lake District

All images on this page © Robin Hudson

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NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018/ VOL. 3 / NO. 8

Members' Gallery I loved the November edition of the Landscape Group Newsletter. There were some excellent photos and some great articles.

I thought I’d be brave and share some photos from a recent trip to British Columbia. All three photographs were captured on Long Beach in Tofino with my Olympus EM5 MKII and my Pro 12-40mm lens.

Sadly I have no distinctions but am considering applying for a LRPS. I’d be interested to hear what people think of these images.

Keith Tomlinson ——————— If anyone wants to help Keith, with comments, please write to landscapenews@rps.org and I will pass them on.

Thanks. Mick Rawcliffe Editor

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What's On The Photography Show

NEC

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

Ansel Adams Exhibition Atlas Gallery, Central London

The Photography Show will take place from 16-19 March 2019 and is the event for everyone passionate about photography and moving image.

An exhibition of some of Ansel Adams’s most magnificent landscapes has opened at the Atlas Gallery, and runs until February 2nd 2019.

It features such memorable images as ‘Mount Williamson, Sierra

See here for details

Nevada, from Manzanar, California, 1944 See here for details

Landscape Photographer of the Year 2018 “Take a view” Exhibition at London Waterloo station There is still plenty of time to see the Landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition at London Waterloo station. It is up on the Balcony until 3 February 2019 and is freely accessible during station opening hours.

Provisional timetable for other Network Rail Stations 2019

London Bridge - 18 February to 10 March Edinburgh - 12 March to 26 March Leeds - 28 March to 14 April Manchester - 16 April to 30 April Liverpool Lime Street - 1 May to 19 May Birmingham - 21 May to 9 June Victoria - 10 June to 24 June Paddington - 25 June to 9 July Reading - 10 July to 27 July See here for details

Conferences, Fairs and Festivals None to report

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EVENTS Landscape Group weekend conference and AGM 01 March 2019 - 03 March 2019 Great Malvern, Worcestershire This will be the landscape group's second conference and AGM and it will be taking place in the scenic town of Great Malvern, on the foothills of the Malvern Hills AONB in Worcestershire.

We are putting together another exciting programme of speakers and other events over the weekend with more to be announced in the coming months.

See here for details

Nightshoot

Heather moorland and big vistas 30 August 2019 N Yorks

A day on the North York Moors with professional photographer Mark Banks See here for details

Long exposures on the North Somerset coast 9 October 2019 The stretch of coastline from Clevedon to Burnham-on-Sea, provides for the perfect location for long exposure photography. Clevedon's graceful Victorian pier, the magnificent long pier and vast stretch of beach at Weston-Super-Mare, and the striking Grade 11 Lower lighthouse at Burnham-on-Sea are our principle subject matter for this workshop, offering plenty of opportunities to make some wonderfully moody captures.

See here for details

09 March 2019 Bath Explore the wonders of nighttime photography during this creative, hands-on and revealing evening photography workshop. You will learn various creative techniques for working in low light conditions and painting with light.During this workshop you will have the opportunity to photograph some of the renowned landmarks in the historic city of Bath - including Bath Abbey, Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge

See here for details

Could you host an event?

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 email to rps.landscape.events@gmail.com.

We welcome all volunteers and would very much like to hear from members in all parts of the UK.

The Landscape Photographers Calendar Workshop with Tony Worobiec FRPS 09 June 2019 Bristol The purpose of this course is to inspire the participant to recognise that each month in the year offers wonderful opportunities for taking great photographs. It aims to be as broad as possible, and features not just pastoral landscape, but recognises that landscape should also embrace agricultural, coastal, industrial and urban locations.

For details of all Landscape Group events listed above and of additional workshops and events of interest to group members, please visit the Group’s events page

See here for details

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Event categories The categories below aim to help members understand what is on offer at any particular landscape group event. They are also a guide for potential event leaders who might be worried that their photographic skills are not sufficiently strong for them to lead an event.

Group A – Field trips where the guide has a good knowledge of the location (e.g. good viewpoints, good subjects, good times of day, tides if relevant etc.) and will have ideas about what to do in case of unhelpful weather or light conditions, but does not wish to offer any advice on photography skills or techniques.

Group B - Field trips where the trip leader has a good knowledge of the location (as in Group A) but is also willing to offer general technical support and advice to inexperienced photographers. The leader is NOT expected to be an expert in anything but should be sufficiently experienced to pass on knowledge of the basics.

Group C - Field trips that focus on a particular technique – such as long exposures or photographing at night. The leaders of these events will primarily offer advice about technique and location knowledge will be sufficient to enable participants to learn and practice the technique(s) concerned.

Group D - Workshops that primarily focus on skills or technique and where location is irrelevant or is a secondary consideration. These may take place indoors or outdoors. The workshop leader may have limited knowledge of the location but will be experienced and skilled in the topic of the workshop.

Booking Confirmations A few members have contacted us because they were unsure as to whether or not they were booked on an event. Here is a brief guide to how you can check this for yourselves.

When you book a landscape event through the RPS website, the system should send you a confirmation email.

If you have not received it and want to check if you are booked on an event, then login to your account on the RPS website, select the tab labeled events and tick the box for events you are booked on.

Any events you have booked will show up in orange.

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