RPS Landscape Group Newsletter, January 2018

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

CONTENTS 01 Editorial 02 The Long Cold Road to an Associateship by Stephen Hutchins ARPS 06 Nostalgic Landscapes

by Max Melvin ARPS 07 Waterfall Country by Daryl Hutchinson Š Stephen Hutchins ARPS

Editorial

08 Chance for Fame

Winter weather can both excite and frustrate. It can offer some great opportunities for landscape photography, but only if you are able travel to your chosen location before the thaw sets in.

10 What's On

09 Members' Gallery

This month we feature the ARPS distinction panel of Stephen Hutchins, a photographer who has been very successful in capturing what he describes as the 'stark beauty' of winter in the far North.

We have two further articles. The first is Max Melvin's appreciation of some 19th century landscape photographs he has restored. The second is Daryl Hutchinson's exploration of 'Waterfall Country', a series of waterfalls on the tributaries of the River Neath.

In a 'Chance for Fame', on page 8, we offer members the chance to have an image displayed on one of the upright pullup banners used by the RPS at various events. This will help promote both the group and the RPS as whole and we look forward to seeing your entries.

Thank you to those who responded to my request for individual images for the Members' Gallery. It would be great to see some of your best winter shots for the next newsletter.

Finally, on behalf of the whole committee, a very Happy New Year to you all.

Kind regards

11 Events

Submissions The deadline for submissions to the next newsletter is Friday 16th February. 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 to: landscapenews@rps.org

Jim Souper, Newsletter Editor

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 / VOL. 2 / NO. 10

The Long Cold Road to an Associateship

by Stephen Hutchins ARPS

Stephen Hutchins achieved his Associateship distinction last year. His panel was featured in the September 2017 edition of the RPS Journal. In this article, Stephen offers some further thoughts on the road to achieving the distinction.

It is said that we are all on a journey, from the moment of our birth to our death. We are generally unaware of the path we are taking and of the stories that we create and share with others. Small incidents can have big consequences, both for ourselves and for those whose path we cross. I was an accidental traveller insofar as the RPS distinction was concerned. It was not some careful plan that led me on this path, but rather a coincidence that occurred when I was feeling uncertain about my photographic story.

I have been a photographer for decades, but it had always been the act of capturing the image that held me. I felt no need to enter competitions, or hunt down likes on social media, but I had found myself increasingly unfocussed in my photography. I had started to doubt what I was doing, and why I was doing it. You could call it, “not another bloody sunset” syndrome, if you like.

I felt a need to get validation of what I was doing, of whether I had an “eye” for an image, to give me the reassurance that I had the skills necessary to think of myself as a photographer. Whilst mulling over this situation, I stumbled over the website of the RPS and realised that this was exactly the sort of serious, professional, place for which I had been searching.

I read through the different Distinctions available and, in my presumption, thought I should attempt the Fine Art Associate level (it was the challenge posed by the high standards required and by the need to be able to put together a coherent portfolio that appealed).

My life, and my photography, has always looked north for inspiration. I felt alive in the snow and cold and dark that are integral to the arctic and near-arctic winters. I had spent a lot of time in these conditions, notably in Svalbard, and had amassed a large collection of images. I wanted to use them to show what this area and the season meant to me and to present an environment whose existence is under very real threat.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

My difficulty lay in having hundreds, possibly thousands, of such images. The initial reduction to about fifty, from which the portfolio of fifteen could be chosen, proved very demanding. It was very clear that I could not simply pick out my favourites, but that I had to find fifteen that shared common elements, whilst being sufficiently distinctive to present the whole story. The images had been taken at different times, under vastly different physical conditions and in different moods. With a lot of help from others in the Benelux Chapter, and a great deal of personal time and effort, I gradually distilled them down to twenty; fifteen primary candidates and five back-ups.

With no experience of the RPS’s thinking or approach to the granting of Distinctions, the next step was to seek expert advice. It was difficult to travel from Belgium to an assessment day in the UK, so I made use of the excellent video assessment system that the RPS offers. I printed the images, the proposed hanging plan and the statement of intent and waited for a response from Bath. In a few weeks I got an e-mail and listened to the advice.

It was not an easy experience. I had focused on the selection of images and the creation of the portfolio, but had failed to give the same attention to their printing. A range of faults were identified, including variations in the intensity/contrast of the images, marks on individual images (I maintain these were nearly all snowflakes winter weather can be difficult!) and an imbalance in at least one image in relation to the overall portfolio. All my self-doubt returned and deafened me to the positive elements of the assessment. I put the whole thing to one side, more than half-persuaded to drop it, and turned to the pleasures of a family Christmas.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

However, during the celebrations, the images and assessment kept nagging away at the back of my mind. I returned to the portfolio again and started to think about what had been said and how I could address the comments. I began to see a way forward, building on the positives and managing the negatives. One image was discarded and a lot of time was spent rebalancing, resizing and cleaning up individual images. I taught myself how to make passe-partouts, as none of the images were of conventional sizes. It took about a month of quite intensive effort, but at the end I felt I had something I could stand behind and that would show what I could do. I put them away for another month and tried not to think about them.

At a final review, I decided to change one image, as I could not get the clarity I wanted in some shadow areas during printing. I replaced it with a new, quite different, image, and took the whole portfolio over in the car boot during a trip to England. A nervous wait followed until an e-mail arrived confirming that the images had been accepted by the RPS and that I would be awarded an Associate Distinction.

The portfolio featured in the RPS monthly magazine, and one image was used as a backdrop to the RPS’s annual report on its financial and membership status. It was put on the RPS website and has been used in training days for others seeking the Associate distinction. More importantly, it has given me back the confidence and self-belief that had been ebbing away. I feel that I have proved a point, even if only to myself.

The sense of achievement that you will gain from success in a very demanding process can only improve your understanding of your photography and allow you to develop your skills further. If you take this path, you are likely to find it challenging and frustrating - but if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be worth the effort, would it?

Statement of Intent - Northern Exposure This portfolio is a tribute to, and a memory of, winter in the far North. It presents images taken in and around Iceland and Svalbard during a series of visits during the winter months. This is a region and time of year that both attract and intimidate, with a stark beauty that is utterly indifferent to human existence and concerns.

The portfolio aims to capture both the endless silence of the ice and the menace and violence of the winter storms. The wind draws fluid, organic patterns in the snow which contrast with the hard lines of the man-made structures where these have been imposed upon the landscape.

The images are presented in monochrome to emphasise the wildness of the environment and the natural balance between the white of the snow and the darkness of the skies and waters.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

Images © Stephen Hutchins ARPS

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

Nostalgic Landscapes

by Max Melvin ARPS

These four pictures came into my hands from a distant relative. “We have found some old photographs. They’re yours if you would like them, otherwise, we’ll throw them out.”

The dusty, cob-webby framed shots were claimed to be of Banff, Scotland. In fact, one had, ‘View of Banff, showing the bridge to McDuff’, hand written on the back. I knew one branch of the family immigrated to Victoria in the 1850s, said to have been involved with the Banff port operation.

On removal from the frames they appeared to be contact prints from full plate negatives, but were showing discoloured and faded areas typical of old photographs and there were many surface scratches.

Restoration of these images took some time. Firmly glued to the supporting backs, they were impossible to remove, but at least they were flat enough to be photographed. Each digital image was enlarged and carefully processed; scratches were filled in, faded and discoloured areas restored. There is nothing quite like the restoration of a photograph to make you appreciate the artistic and technical abilities of the original photographer.

I am sure all four are the work of the same artist, unfortunately anonymous. I decided to tone the images, in a way, to stress that they are the work of a 19th century craftsman.

My favourite is the beautifully composed image of the fishermen preparing to set a net in the river. The photographer has selected his viewpoint so carefully; the river curves away to give sense of depth to the picture and this is emphasised by the path. The timbered slope across the river adds interest to the middle distance. The men, the centre of attention, are perfectly placed, remaining still for the photographer, but wanting to get on with the real business of the day, catching fish.

There is an authenticity about this image that reminds me of P.H.Emerson when he was so empathically picturing life on the Norfolk fenland.

The scene of the port - was it Banff? - must have brought a feeling of nostalgia to the older family members, living half a world away from their homeland.

The working sailing ship is moored, sails and tackle correctly secured. The inner basin has some fishing boats anchored. Men lounge on the dock.

The view of Banff has the cornerstone of the photographer’s compositional style, the strong curve of the bridge and road. Banff looks as unpeopled as Pompeii, but there is a sign of habitation, the washing strung along the fence and this strengthens the composition.

The picture titled Sea Shore (above), of sunlit clouds, is impressionistic pictorialism at its best. The cloud detail is a technical achievement for the period. The silhouetted fishermen here and there, intently waiting for a ‘bite’, gives a subtle human touch to the scene.

Each of these photographs has a unity. This landscape photographer, whoever he was, succeeded in portraying the ‘feel’ of each scene. That we can respond to them more than a century later is a measure of his success.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 / VOL. 2 / NO. 10

Waterfall Country

by Daryl Hutchinson I have long held a fascination with water, whether it be sea, river or stream, watching its movement and admiring its power in shaping the landscape. At school my favoured subject was geography and in particular geomorphology.

So, when a recent secondment with work led to me being around an hour from waterfall country in the southwest corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park, it was a chance not to be missed.

Early one Sunday August morning, I drove to Pontneddfechan, parking up on the road close to the Angel Inn. It does get busy along the road so an early arrival should be considered.

Alongside the pub is a footpath that leads you along the river, the Afon Nedd Fechan. Immediately you are in a relatively steep walled valley dominated by the sound of water. The geology of the valley is quickly evident with the various rock strata visible. Meanwhile the water tumbles over the rocky river bed below.

Generally, the first part of the walk along the path was reasonable underfoot though suitable footwear is recommended for any muddy sections. Eventually a junction in the river was reached where the Afon Pyrddin joins. A short walk along this tributary brings you to Sgwd Gwladys and its legend (below).

Returning to the Afon Nedd Fechan and then heading upstream, the path becomes far rougher underfoot and muddy, stout footwear really is a must. My walk then took in Sgwd y Bedol ‘The Horseshoe Falls’ (above).

Here there was an opportunity to walk over the river bedrock. Beware - it is slippery and in times of higher rainfall certainly would not be possible.

And then onward to what I can only describe as the jewel of the waterfalls, Sgwd Ddwili Uchaf, below. The scrabbling walk made worth it!

I have only recently joined the RPS and so do not have any distinctions, but my aim is to explore various facets of photography through the workshops and events.

My ultimate aim being to broaden my horizons, combined with raising the level of my photography and, hopefully, gain a distinction for my work.

www.arvorphoto.com

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

Chance for Fame The RPS has some pull up banners, which are used to advertise the Society and its various groups.

Regrettably, none of the banners has a landscape photograph on it, so the Landscape SIG has decided to fund a banner with a landscape shot on. This will be for use by the group specifically and the RPS at their events.

To source a photograph, we have decided to run a competition with the winning entry going onto the banner. So, if you would like to enter please follow the rules below. Initially we will ask you to send in a low-resolution image. Then, if selected you must be able to supply an image at least 3000px by 3000px in Adobe RGB colour space. The image will be shown on the banner, with a photo credit, and you will retain copyright for use anywhere else.

Competition details: Rules Images should aim to capture the spirit of landscape photography and fit with the definition of the group given in the constitution. Specifically: “Landscape” photography is defined as the photographing of all elements of the land, mountains, hills, farmland, the coast, bodies of water, urban and rural environments, under varying lighting and weather conditions, in both traditional and abstract forms.

The image must be square – this is so it fits on the banner. The entrant must be the owner of the copyright for the image and grant the RPS a royalty free licence to use the image if selected.

Composite images are allowed but all images used must be copyright of the entrant. The image must not have won any major competition or currently be licensed for use by any other organisations.

Entrants may send in up to three images. The competition will be judged by the committee and the decision of the judges is final. RPS Landscape SIG committee members may not enter.

How to enter Please send an image no greater than 1000px square at 72dpi as a jpeg to landscapef16@gmail.com by 31st March 2018. Each file should be labelled with your name and in the case of more than one entry a sequential number e.g. FredBloggs1.jpg, FredBloggs2.jpg. Late entries will not be accepted.

Prize As well as the pleasure of seeing your image on the RPS banner, the winner will be able to choose one of the fotovue location guides for a location of the winner’s choice. Currently the guides cover North Wales, Scotland, Devon and Cornwall, the Peak District and Dorset.

We look forward to receiving your entries!

Richard Ellis LRPS Group Chair

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

Members' Gallery

National Trust Reserve & Dunes, at Formby © Stephen PearsonLRPS Broken willow, River Waveney at Outney Common © David Penrose LRPS

Gleaveshole Wood in Winter

© John Patterson LRPS

Acacias in the Maasai Mara

© Richard Burn LRPS

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

Please submit your images as jpegs, sized to 72 dpi with 1200 pixels along the longest edge and borderless. It would also be helpful if you would provide a caption and a note of any RPS distinction that you would like to have included in your credit for the image.

The deadline for the next newsletter is Friday 16th February 2018. Thank you!

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

What's On

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

Exhibitions The Long View Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne A two-year project carried out by photographer Rob Fraser and writer Harriet Fraser, The Long View depicts seven trees in Cumbria through colour images, black-and-white hand printed photographs, poetry and land art. Showing until 4th March.

Merrie Albion - Landscape Studies of a Small Island Flowers Gallery, London Merrie Albion - Landscape Studies of a Small Island brings together iconic images and many previously unpublished photographs by Simon Roberts, recording social practices and customs linked to the British landscape, as well as some of the economic and political theatre that has helped define recent history. Showing until 10th March.

Dan Holdsworth: Mapping the Limits of Space Graves Gallery, Sheffield Dan Holdsworth explores the relationship between landscape, photography, science and technology.

Most recently, his work has become an investigation into both real and virtual representations of the geological landscape. His use of digital mapping data expands the photographic process and explores the changing nature of human perception as our understanding of science and technology evolves.

Showing until 16th March.

Illuminating India: Photography 1857 - 2017 Science Museum, London Part of a season of exhibitions and events, at the Science Museum, that celebrates India’s contribution to science, technology and mathematics. From 4th October until 31st March.

Common Ground Southampton City Art Gallery For the past four years, David Baker's Common Ground photographic project has examined Southampton Common and the old cemetery to artistically interpret a landscape that has been shaped by human activity through management of this shared space. At Southampton City Art Gallery until 7th April 2018 If you have, or know of, an exhibition you think may be interest to landscape group members, please email landscapenews@rps.org with details.

Paul Nash and the Uncanny Landscape York Art Gallery Paul Nash’s groundbreaking inter-war landscapes, which transformed the genre of British landscape painting, feature in this new exhibition curated by John Stezaker. The exhibition also includes works by Stezaker including new landscapes created in response to the themes of the uncanny landscape. A private collection of rarely seen Nash drawings, paintings, photographs and ephemera is also on display. At York Art Gallery until 15th April.

Into the Woods: Trees in Photography V&A, London Trees have long been a source of inspiration for artists. This display explores the diverse representation of trees in photography – as botanical subjects and poetic symbols, in the context of the natural and human worlds. At the V&A until 22nd April.

Andreas Gursky Hayward Gallery, London Hayward Gallery reopens in January 2018 with the first major UK retrospective of the work of acclaimed German photographer Andreas Gursky.

Known for his large-scale, often spectacular pictures that portray emblematic sites and scenes of the global economy and contemporary life, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant photographers of our time. Showing from 25th January until 22nd April.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 53 London This year's exhibition, showcasing the fifty-third year of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, at the Natural History Museum until 28th May 2018.

Conferences, Fairs and Festivals The Photography Show Birmingham Next year's show at the NEC will run from Saturday 17th to Tuesday 20th March. Super Stage speakers include Art Wolfe and Brent Stirton, 2017's Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

EVENTS

Central Lakes photo shoot Saturday 28th April, 9:15 to 17:00

Bath Explore the wonders of night time photography during this hands on evening photography workshop.

You will learn various creative techniques for working in low light conditions and painting with light. Organised by RPS HQ - see here for details

near Ambleside An opportunity to get some great landscape shots whether you are a beginner or an experienced photographer. We will visit a variety of locations from Blea Tarn (with the Langdale Pikes in the background), Tilberthwaite and Hodge Close Quarry, Slater’s Bridge and Cathedral Cavern. Brilliant locations, which pose different challenges for composition, especially with changeable weather in spring. See here for details.

Photographing landscape; whatever the weather with Tony Worobiec FRPS Sunday 18th March, 10:30 to 16:00

Beyond Visible Light: A workshop on Infrared landscapes with Simon Weir Saturday 19th May, 10:00 to 18:30

Nightshoot Saturday 17th February, 18:00 to 22:00

Northumberland The purpose of this course is to alert you to the potential of photographing landscape, irrespective of the weather conditions. Usually run at Bath HQ, Northern Region has secured the opportunity to attend this popular workshop in the north of England.

See here for full details.

Group holiday to Harris & Lewis Thursday 22nd - Thursday 29th March

Harris and Lewis Landscape group member and Lewis resident Tim Parish LRPS will be leading this weeklong holiday to Lewis and Harris, guiding participants to some of the well-known photographic locations as well as to a good few that he has researched himself specifically for this trip. See here for full details - please read carefully before booking.

Guildford and St Martha's Sunday 8th April, 10:00 to 16:30 Guildford This is an opportunity to combine some urban landscape photography with some far-reaching views at a local church, St Martha’s, which has commanding views over the local landscape. If time allows, we will aim to finish at Newlands Corner, which has a distinctly photogenic setting. See here for full 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.

Oldbury An acknowledged expert in the field of Infrared photography, Simon's workshop will give you a thorough understanding of the magical world of digital infrared.

See here for full details.

Photographing landscape; whatever the weather with Tony Worobiec FRPS Sunday 10th June, 10:30 to 16:30

Bath 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.

To be held at Bath HQ - see here for details

Processing landscape images Sunday 1st July, 10:00 to 17:00

Bassenthwaite This one-day workshop will cover post-processing techniques to get the best from your landscape images. Run by Adobe certified professional Carmen Norman at her Lake District studio, the workshop will cover the use of both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. See here for details of the workshop and the option of a tutored photo walk the previous day.

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.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1

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.

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 / VOL. 3 / NO. 1